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THE CORSICAN. A Diary of NapoIcon"s Life in his 
own words. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company. 

THE ROMAN THEOCRACY AND THE REPUBLIC. 
London, Macmillau & Co. 

NAPOLEON, A SHORT BIOGRAPHY. New York, 
Henry Holt & Co. 

THE NAPOLEONIC EMPIRE IN SOUTHERN ITALY, 
2 vols. London, Macniillan & Co. 

MEMOIRS OF " MALAKOFF," 2 vols. London, 

Hutchinson & Co. 
LEADING AMERICAN SOLDIERS. New York, Henry 

Hoh & Co. 
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, A SHORT HISTORY. 

New York, Henry Holt & Co. 



THE CORSICAN 



THE CORSICAN 

A Diary of Napoleon's Life in 
His Own Words 



' And they have dared to say that I could not write! " 




BOSTON AND NEW YORK 

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY 

(at&e 0itiECiSibe j^rejSjS (JEambribje 
1910 









COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY R. M. JOHNSTON 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



Published November igio 



First Edition 



€'CI.A27S1 i 



PREFACE 

A FEW words are needed to explain what this book 
is, and what it is not. 

The matter, with the exception of the few bracketed 
passages, is derived entirely from Napoleon's own words, 
written and spoken. But there are abbreviations, and 
transpositions of words and of dates. 

The abbreviations are not shown, for the reason that 
they are of constant recurrence, and this general warn- 
ing is therefore substituted for the usual typographical 
indication. 

The transpositions of date are made for the purpose 
of maintaining the journal form, and belong, in all except 
rare cases, to one of the two following classes: first, the 
placing of the details of an event that were written a day 
or two after it, at the very day of that event; secondly, 
the placing of a statement uttered at St. Helena forward 
under the date of the event itself. Of this second class 
there are not many instances. 

There are also a number of cases of composite texts, 
as for instance the speech to the Council of Ancients on 
the 19th of Brumaire, or that to the Polish ofiicers on 
the retreat from Leipzig, each made up from several ver- 
sions. Once for all, the warning is given that such is the 
case, as from the nature of the book the footnotes cov- 
ering this, and the other matters mentioned, appeared to 
be out of place; they would have been longer than the 
text itself. 



vi PREFACE 

Two minor points also require notice: that the dates in 
terms of the revolutionary calendar have been modern- 
ized; and that the names and titles of individuals men- 
tioned have been used with no attempt at uniformity; — 
thus Ney may be referred to under that name long after 
he had become Duke of Elchingen, and Prince of the 
Moskowa. In an appendix the Napoleonic titles are 
tabulated, so that the reader can always refer back if 
necessary. 

In conclusion, what truth this book conveys is not to 
be sought according to those rules for the treatment of 
historical documents which it avowedly contravenes, but 
in such psychological illumination of a great career and 
character as the method employed has rendered possible. 
For objectively Napoleon rarely, if ever, speaks the truth; 
yet subjectively how can he speak otherwise ? 

R. M. Johnston. 

Cambridge, Mass., Sept., 1910. 



THE CORSICAN 



A Diary of Napoleon's Life 

1769-1795 

August 15th, 1769. Birth at Ajaccio. 

I was called Napoleon; that, for centuries past, had 
been the name given to the second son in our family. 

April, 1779. Military school at Brienne. 
- I entered Brienne, and was happy. My mind was be- 
ginning to work; I was anxious to learn, to know, to get 
on; I devoured books. I soon became the talk of the 
school. I was admired, envied; I was conscious of my 
powers; I enjoyed my superiority. 

October 12th, 1783. (To Charles Buonaparte.) My dear 
father: Your letter, as you may well imagine, gave me 
little enough pleasure; but as your return to Corsica is 
necessitated by your illness and by that of a family that 
is so near to me, I can but approve, and must try to con- 
sole myself. 

June 25th, 1784. My brother lacks the courage to face 
the dangers of action, and regards the military profession 
from the garrison point of view. 

July 7th. My dear father arrived here on the 21st with 
Luciano and the two young ladies. Joseph is in the class 
of rhetoric, and could do better if he would only work. 

October 29th. (At Brienne) every one said of me : That 
boy is no good except at geometry. I was not very popu- 
lar. I was dry as parchment. 



4 THE CORSICAN [1784-87 

October 30th. Leaves Briennefor the Military College at 
Paris. 

31 arch 28th, 1785, Paris: 

We have lost our father, the sole support of our youth. 
Our country has lost a keen, enlightened, and honest citi- 
zen. It was so decreed by the Supreme Being! 

(To Madame Buonaparte.) My dear mother: It is for 
you to console us, the event demands it. Our affection, 
our devotion, will be doubled, to make you forget, so far 
as it is possible, the incalculable loss of a beloved husband. 

October 30th. Second lieutenant of artillery, regiment of 
La Fhe. 

April 26th, 1786, Valence: 

To-day Paoli enters his sixty -first year. The Corsicans 
have already, in a just cause, shaken off the yoke of the 
Genoese; they can do as much with that of the French. 
Amen! 

May 3d. Always solitary among men, I am here, within 
doors, dreaming, and giving full vent to all my melan- 
choly. To what will it drive me to-day ? To thoughts of 
death. Still at the dawn of life, I may hope for many days 
to come. It is now six or seven years since I last saw my 
country. What madness, then, drives me to self-destruc- 
tion ? Doubtless it is the hollowness of life. If one is to 
die, why not kill one's self ? What spectacle awaits me 
when I return to my own people? My compatriots 
laden with chains, and kissing in fear the hand that 
strikes ihcni ! 

9th. Virtue and the love of truth are not enough 
to enable a man to argue against Rousseau. He was 
human; and so, one may easily believe, liable to error. 



iET. 15-18] A DIARY 5 

July ^Qth. (To M. Borde, bookseller, Geneva.) Sir: 
This is to request you to forward me the Memoirs of Mme. 
de Valens (sic), sequel to the Confessions of J. J. Rous- 
seau. Pray send me also the History of the Revolutions of 
Corsica, and a list of books you may have relating to the 
island of Corsica, or that you could get for me quickly. 
I will remit the correct amount on hearing from you. 
Address your letter: Monsieur Buonaparte, Officer of 
artillery, regiment of La Fere, Valence, Dauphine. 

September 20th, Lyons: 

I leave Lyons with even more reluctance than I did 
Valence. I like the place so much, I would be content to 
spend the rest of my days here; but a man must follow his 
fate, and must accept the conditions of his profession. A 
soldier can be constant to nothing but his flag. 

April 2d, 1787. Napoleone Buonaparte, second lieu- 
tenant in the regiment of La Fere artillery, begs Msgr. 
Marshal de Segur for leave of absence for five and a half 
months from the 16th of May next. 

November 22, Paris: 

I had just left the Italian Opera and was facing the 
walks of the Palais Royal. I had reached the iron gates 
when my eyes fell on a woman. The time of day, her 
appearance, her youth, all showed clearly enough what 
she was. I stared at her; she stopped. Her hesitation 
encouraged me, and I spoke to her ... I spoke to her, I, 
who so loathe her vile trade, I, who have always felt my- 
self contaminated by a single glance! . . . You will be 
cold, I said, how can you go out there ? — Ah, Monsieur, 
hope keeps me warm. I must finish my evening. — The 
indifference with which she spoke, the calmness of her 



6 THE CORSICAN [1787-91 

reply, aroused my interest, and I turned back with her. — 
You don't look very strong; I am surprised that you 
can stand doing what you do. — Well, Monsieur, one must 
do something for one's living. — That may be, but surely 
you could find some employment suited to your health ? 
— No, Monsieur, I must earn the money. 

I was interested, pleased; here at last was a woman who 
would answer my questions, a result which previously 
I had not always attained ! 

July 1st, 1788, Auxonne: 

I have no interests outside my work. I get into full 
dress only once a week. Since my illness I sleep very 
little, incredibly little! I go to bed at ten, and am up at 
four. I have but one meal a day, a practice that agrees 
well with me. 

Ajyril 1st, 1789. This year has begun hopefully for right 
thinkers, and after all these centuries of feudal barbarism 
and political slavery it is surprising to see how the word 
Liberty sets minds on fire that appeared to be demoralized 
under the influence of luxury, indulgence, and art. While 
France is being regenerated, what will become of us 
unfortunate Corsicans ? 

16th, Ajaccio: 

My shattered health will prevent my return to the 
regiment before the 15th of October. 

July 14th. Capture oj the Bastille, French Revolution. 

August 28th, 1790. Friday night a gibbet was erected 
on the quay with this inscription over it: La Lanternc de 
Paris. 

February 6th, 1791, St. Vallier: 

Ivy will cling to the first met tree, that, in a few words, 



iET. 18-21] A DIARY 7 

is the whole history of love. What is love ? The realiza- 
tion of his weakness that sooner or later pervades the 
solitary man, a sense both of his weakness and of his im- 
mortality : — the soul finds support, is doubled, is forti- 
fied; the blessed tears of sympathy flow, — there is love, 

8th, Serve: 

Everywhere the peasants stand firm; in Dauphine, 
specially so. They are ready to die for the Constitution. 
The women are royalist. This is not surprising, for Lib- 
erty is lovelier than any of them and eclipses them all! 

The Patriotic Club would do well to present Mirabeau 
with a complete Corsican dress, that is to say, cap, coat, 
breeches, dagger, pistol, and gun; it would make a fine 
impression. 

April 24th, Auxonne: 

Louis is studying hard, learning to write French; I am 
teaching him mathematics and geometry. He reads his- 
tory. He will turn out extremely well. He has already 
acquired quite the French manner, polish, vivacity; he 
can enter an assembly, bow gracefully, propound the 
customary questions with all the seriousness and dignity 
of a man of thirty. I see well enough that he will turn out 
the best of us four. It must be said, however, that none 
of us has had so good an education. 

June 1st. The royalist orators have undoubtedly done 
much towards overturning the monarchy, for after spend- 
ing all their breath in empty argumentation, they inva- 
riably finish up by declaring that a republican govern- 
ment is impossible because it is impossible! 

July 27th, Valence: 



8 THE CORSICAN [1791-92 

Is it to be war ? 

The country is full of zeal, of enthusiasm. Two weeks 
ago, in a meeting of twenty-two clubs from the three 
Departments, a petition was drawn up demanding that 
the king be brought to trial. At the banquet on the 14th, 
I proposed the health of the patriots of Auxonne. 

September 20th, Corte, in Corsica: 

M. Volney is here, and in a few days we shall start 
together on a tour of the island. M. de Volney's reputa- 
tion in the republic of letters is founded on his Voyage in 
Egypt. 

February 1st, 1792, Ajaccio: 

In these stormy days the duty of a good Corsican is to 
remain at home. The general in command has offered me 
a commission as adjutant major of a volunteer battalion. 

April. War of the First Coalition. * 

May 29th, Paris: 

I arrived yesterday. Paris is in a state of grave agita- 
tion. The national guards on duty to protect the king at 
the Tuileries have been doubled. 

There is a vast amount of desertion among army offi- 
cers. From every point of view the situation is most 
critical. 

Ju7ie 14th. The country is distracted by fanatical 
parties; it is difficult to seize the thread of such complex 
events; how it will all turn out is more than I can guess, 
but the aspect of things is very revolutionary. 

18th. No news of the army. 

20th. Let us follow this rabble ! Seven to eight thou- 
sand nicn, armed with pikes, axes, swords, guns, spits, 
pointed sticks, marched to the Assembly to present a 



2ET. 21-22] A DIARY 9 

petition. Thence they proceeded to the king. The garden 
of the Tuileries was closed, and was guarded by 15,000 
national guards. They broke down the gates, entered 
the palace, placed guns in position opposite the king's 
lodging, smashed through four doors, and presented to 
the king two cockades, one white, the other tricolour. 
Choose, — they said, — reign here, or at Coblentz ! The 
king stood it well, and placed a red cap on his head. 

How could they let the rabble in (to the Palace yard) ? 
They ought to have mowed down four or five hundred of 
them with cannon, and the others would still be running. 

When I was told that Louis had put a red cap on his 
head I concluded that his reign was over, for in politics 
an act that degrades can never be lived down. 

July 3d. I am bound to say that our leaders are a poor 
lot of men. Seeing the whole business close to, shows 
clearly enough how little worth while it is to attempt to 
win the favour of the people. Each one pursues his indi- 
vidual interest and tries to excel in horrors; intrigues are 
to-day as base as ever they were. It is enough to destroy 
all ambition. 

August 7th. All the symptoms are that violence will 
break out; many people are leaving Paris. 

I have been working a good deal at astronomy during 
my stay here. It's a splendid amusement, and a superb 
branch of science; with my knowledge of mathematics it 
required very little effort to learn. It is a great acquisi- 
tion. 

10th. I lodge Rue du Mail, Place des Victoires. 
At the sound of the tocsin, and at the news that the 
Tuileries were attacked, I started for the Carrousel. 



10 THE CORSICAN (1792-93 

Before I had got there, in the Rue des Petits Champs, I 
was passed by a mob of horrible looking fellows parading 
a head stuck on a pike. Thinking I looked too much of 
a gentleman, they wanted me to shout Vive la Nation! 
which I promptly did, as may easily be imagined. 

The palace was being attacked by the vilest rabble. 
After the palace had been captured and the king had 
withdrawn to the Assembly, I ventured cautiously into 
the gardens. Never since that day, no, not on all my bat- 
tlefields, have I had such an impression of masses of dead 
men as the Swiss then produced on me. 

As I witnessed the storming of the Tuileries and the 
capture of the king, I was far from thinking that I should 
one day stand in his place, and that that palace would be 
my abode! 

After the victory of the Marseillais, I came across one 
who was on the point of killing a Garde du Corps. I said 
to him: Man of the South, let us save this unfortunate 
fellow! — Are you a Southerner? — Yes! — All right, we 
will save him! 

September 22d. Proclamation of the French Republic. 

October 18th, Ajaccio: 

I wanted to get to Bonifacio to restore order, but the 
general has .sent for me, and I shall have to go to Corte. 

The latest news is to the effect that the enemy have 
evacuated Verdun and Longwy; our men are not going 
to sleep. Savoy and Nice are ours, Sardinia will soon be 
attacked. 

January 11th, 179.'3, Olmette: 

(To the municipal officials of Bonifacio.) We shall 
reach your city to-morrow, under orders from General 



^T. 22-24] A DIARY 11 

Paoli. I shall have two companies with me. I know your 
good will and patriotism, and do not doubt you will 
bestir yourselves to provide for the troops. • 

Buonaparte, 
Lieutenant-Colonel of the 
National Volunteers of Ajaccio. 
July. Revolt of southern France against the Republic. 

August. The supper at Beaucaire. 

I happened to be at Beaucaire on the last day of the 
fair, and chanced to sup with two merchants from Mar- 
seilles, one from Nimes, and a Montpellier manufacturer. 

(The Soldier.) You see what civil war means; we rend, 
we hate, we kill one another! Why should you fear the 
army ? The army respects Marseilles because no city has 
sacrificed more for the general good. Think better of us, 
and you will have no better friends. Believe me, shake 
off the yoke of the handful of rascals who are carry- 
ing you straight down the path of counter-revolution; 
reestablish your old authorities; accept the constitution; 
and the army will immediately march off to make the 
Spaniards, who are too much puffed up with a few suc- 
cesses, dance the Carmagnole. 

28th. Occupation of Toulon by the British. 

September 16th, in front of Toulon. 

It is the guns capture fortresses. 

19th, Three days after my arrival the army had its 
artillery organized. 

October 25th. The guns are beginning to do things. 

November 1 4th. The plan for the capture of Toulon which 
I have presented to the generals is the only practical one. 



12 THE CORSICAN [1793-95 

28th. This is the battery of the men without fear! 

29th. What is this young man's name ? 

(Junot!) 

He will get on. 

30th. The enemy, realizing the importance of the bat- 
tery, attacked it in strong force, carried it, and spiked 
the guns. Half an hour later we recaptured it. General 
Dugomniier fought with truly republican courage. 

December 7th. We are much in the same position. The 
army is 30,000 strong. 

17th. Go and rest, we have captured Toulon; day after 
to-morrow you shall sleep there. 

24th. The enemy beat a very hasty retreat. We have 
captured most of their baggage. If the wind had held 
them up another four hours, they were lost. 

January 4th, 1794, Marseilles: 

I shall have guns placed at the fort so as to command 
the city. The batteries are in an absurd state. 

20th. Within a fortnight I hope to get the coast 
from the Rhone to the Var in good shape. 

February 12th. They have spent lots of money on the 
coast and made a bad job of it. 

April 1st. In command of the artillery, army of the Alps. 

2d. We open the campaign with 30,000 men. 

June 20th. The army's objective is the valley of the 
Stura. 

July 23d. Revolution of Thcrmidor. 

August 7th, Antibes: 

(To the representatives Albitte and Saliceti.) You have 
relieved me from duty and ordered me under arrest. You 
have branded me without a sentence, or sentenced me 



iET. 24-25] A DIARY 13 

without a hearing. Have I not, ever since the Revolution 
began, constantly shown my devotion to right principles? 
Have I not taken my share in the struggle both against 
the internal foe and, as a soldier, against the foreigner? I 
have sacrificed everything for the republic. I served at the 
siege of Toulon with some distinction, and with the army 
I earned my share of laurels at the capture of Saorgio. 

Saliceti, you have known me five years. What have 
you seen in me that is suspect to the Revolution ? 

14th. (To the representatives of the people.) Citizens, 
herewith you will find my replies to your four questions. 
Since appearing to have forfeited the esteem of free men, 
my conscience enables me to remain calm, but my heart 
is torn, and I feel that, with a cool head but a warm 
heart; I cannot endure a life that is under the cloud of 
suspicion. 

19th. (To Junot.) I appreciate all the friendliness of 
the offer you make me, my dear Junot; you know long 
since all the friendship I feel for you, and that you 
can count on it. Men may be unjust to me, but my 
innocence remains. My conscience is easy, therefore do 
nothing; you would only compromise me. 

Marc/i 22d, 1795, Paris: 

(To Junot.) You have nothing, save your lieuten- 
ant's shoulder-strap. Paulette hasn't even that. Sum 
up; you have nothing; she has nothing; what is the 
total? — Nothing. You therefore cannot marry just at 
present; we must wait. Perhaps we shall see better days, 
my friend! 

April 1st. Saliceti has done me a grievous injury. He 
broke my career just as it was opening out. He withered 



14 THE CORSICAN [1795 

my ideas of glory on their stem. That man is my evil 
genius. No, I can forgive; but forget, — that is another 
matter. 

May 18th. Day of the 1st of Prairial. 

If we continue to drag our revolution through the mud 
in this way, one will soon be ashamed of being a French- 
man. (Barras) is at this moment at the end of the boule- 
vard with a considerable body of troops, and intends, 
so he told me, to open with shell. I advised him not to 
do it. 

June 22d. I am appointed brigadier-general in the 
army of the West. I am ill, which compels me to ask for 
leave. 

To-day the Constitution is being read in the Conven- 
tion. 

July 1st. In the present situation of Europe the King of 
Sardinia obviously must want peace. We must carry the 
war into his country, and manoeuvre the x\ustrians into 
such a position that we can eventually operate against 
them. The army of Italy must drive the enemy from 
Loano, threaten Piedmont, conquer Lonibardy, pene- 
trate into the Tyrol, and effect its junction with the army 
of the Rhine. 

12th. There is an astounding revival of luxurj', plea- 
sure, and art. The women are everywhere. 

18lli. Junot is here, going tlic pace, and spending as 
much of his father's money as he can. Marmont is at the 
siege of Mainz. 

2ith. The news from the Soutli is distressing. Let us 
hope for a strong and well-organized government that will 
put a stop to all this. 



^T. 25-26] A DIARY 15 

25th. (To Joseph Buonaparte). It must be on pur- 
pose that you make no mention of Desiree (Clary); I 
don't even know if she is still alive. 

August 17th. I have been ordered for duty in the army 
of the Vendee : I refused. 

20th. I am appointed to the topographical bureau of 
the^Committee of Public Safety. I could, for the asking, 
get sent to Turkey as general to reorganize the artillery 
of the Grand Seignior. 

Everything is quiet here for the moment, but it may be 
that a storm is brewing. 

25th. (To Joseph.) I hope a consulship can be ob- 
tained for you. 

The primaries are to be convened to elect a third of 
the legislature. 

29th. The army of the Interior has accepted the Con- 
stitution. Some of the Sections of Paris are demanding 
that the troops be withdrawn, and the decree repealed. 

September 5th. The Committee thinks that I cannot 
leave France so long as the war continues. I shall be 
reinstated in the artillery. 

If I stay here, I may possibly get, bitten with the notion 
of getting married. 

6th. (To Joseph.) The consulship of Chio is vacant; 
but you told me you had no use for an island. I hope 
for something better. 

To-day the primary assemblies for Paris are meeting; 
there are many posters, but we hope all will go off quietly. 
I am very pleased with Louis; he fulfils all my hopes; 
he's a good fellow, but then he is built after the same 
fashion as I am: vivacity, wit, health, talent, trust- 



16 THE CORSICAN [1795 

worthiness, benevolence, — he has everything for him. 
You know, my dear fellow, that I live only for the happi- 
ness of my own family. 

7th. All is quiet. It is a mistake to view the situation 
tragically. The Republic, powerful abroad, will soon 
succeed in reestablishing order at home. 

11th. The primary assemblies refuse to accept the 
decree. 

27th. There is considerable uneasiness, and much in- 
flammable material. 

October 3d. (11 Vendemiaire.) 

Paris is ablaze since this morning. I must be cautious. 
I have little enough influence. 

4th. (12 Vendemiaire.) 

I am going out to get news. 

I found several deputies in a state of great alarm, 
among others Cambaceres. They expected to be attacked 
next day, and did n't know what to do; my reply was. 
Give me cannon. This suggestion paralyzed them. 

The night passed, and no decision come to. 

5th (13 Vendemiaire), mortiing : 

The news was very bad. They then put the matter 
in my hands, and set to discussing whether they had tlie 
right to repel force by force. Do you intend to wait, — 
said I, — until the people give you permission to fire 
at them ? You have appointed me, and I am compro- 
mised; it is only fair that I should do the business my 
own way. — On that I left the lawyers to drown tliom- 
selvcs in their own flood of words, and got the troops 
on the move. 



iET.26] A DIARY 17 

6th, 2 A. M. : 

(To Joseph.) At last, it's all over, and my first thought Is 
to send you the news. The royalists were getting bolder 
every day. The Convention had ordered the Section 
Lepelletier to be disarmed; but the Section resisted the 
troops. Menou was immediately relieved from duty. The 
Convention appointed Barras to command the army; and 
the Committees selected me as second in command. We 
made our arrangements; the enemy attacked us; we 
killed great numbers of them. We have disarmed the 
Sections. Good fortune is with me. My love to Eugenie 
and to Julie. 

11th. I am appointed general second in command of 
th-e army of the Interior. 

20th. A citoyen Billon has asked for Paulette's hand; 
he has no money; I have written to Mamma that it is 
out of the question. 

25th. I am appointed to command in chief the army of 
the Interior. 



1796 

March 9th, This nineteenth day of the month of Ven- 
tose in the fourth year of the Republic, this deed of mar- 
riage between Napoleone Buonaparte, general-in-chief of 
the army of the Interior, twenty-eight years of age, born 
at Ajaccio, Department of Corsica, domiciled in Paris, 
Rue d'Antin, son of Charles Buonaparte, gentleman, and 
of Letizia Ramolini; 

And Marie Joseph Rose Detascher, twenty -eight years 
of age, born in the island of Martinique, in the Windward 
Islands, domiciled in Paris, Rue Chantereine, daughter of 
Joseph Gaspard Detascher, captain of dragoons, and of 
Rose Claire Desvergers de Lannois, his wife. 

11th. (To the Directoire.) I had asked citoyen Barras 
to inform the Directoire of my marriage with the citoy- 
enne Tascher Beauharnais. The trust which the Direc- 
toire has reposed in me made it a duty to inform it of all 
my actions. This is one more bond that draws me to our 
country; it is a pledge of my firm resolve to seek salva- 
tion only in the Republic. 

21st. Departure for Italy. 

27th, Nice: 

Soldiers! you are naked and starving; the Government 
owes you much and can give you nothing. Among these 
rocks, your patience, your courage, are admirable; but not 
one ray of glory can shine down on you. I will load you 
into the most fertile plain of the earth. Wealthy cities, 
great provinces, will be in your power; and there await 



iET.26] A DIARY 19 

you honour, glory, and riches. Soldiers of Italy, will your 
courage, will your constancy fail ? 

28th. (To the Directoire.) I joined the army a few 
days ago; yesterday I assumed command. I have in- 
formed the troops, in your name, of your satisfaction 
with their conduct and their patience. This pleased the 
men, and especially the officers, very much. One battal- 
ion has mutinied, because it had neither boots nor pay. 
I ordered the grenadiers under arrest . 

29th. General Alexandre Berthier is appointed chief 
of staff to the army of Italy. 

April 6th, Albenga: 

I have shifted headquarters to Albenga. This move- 
ment has drawn the enemy out of winter quarters. They 
have moved their outposts up to Dego. The King of Sar- 
dinia is displaying much activity. 

The destitution of the army is alarming. I have many 
difficulties to overcome, but it can be done. The absolute 
misery of the army has broken its discipline, and without 
discipline there can be no victories. The Piedmontese are 
40,000 strong in infantry; the Austrians have 34,000. I 
have actually 45,000 men. 

At Oneglia I found some statuary of considerable 
value. I ordered an auction, from which we may derive 
30,000 or 40,000 francs. 

11th. Fighting began at eight o'clock this morning. I 
shall attack. To-morrow we will advance on the enemy 
all along our right. 

12th, Carcare: 

Vive la Republique! This day, 23d of Germinal, the 
divisions of General Massena and of General Laharpe 



20 THE CORSICAN [i796 

attacked the Austrians, who, under the command of Gen- 
eral Beaulicu, numbered 13,000, and occupied the impor- 
tant position of Montenotte. The republicans defeated 
the Austrians completely, killing and wounding 3000 men. 

At night: 

I have just been over the battlefield; there were prison- 
ers and dead on all sides. 

14th. (To the Directoire.) The campaign of Italy has 
begun. I owe you an account of the battle of Monte- 
notte. 

General Beaulieu, with one division, attacked the right 
of our army. On the (12th) at daybreak, Beaulieu and 
Laharpe engaged, when Massena ajjpeared on the 
enemy's flank and rear, spreading destruction and panic. 
The rout of the enemy was complete. 

15th. (To the Directoire.) To-day I have to inform 
you of the battle of Millesimo. The enemy, surrounded 
on all sides, had no time even to surrender; our columns 
scattered death, panic, and flight. General Provera, with 
the body he commanded, surrendered at Cosseria. Our 
soldiers pursued the enemy on all sides unflaggingly. We 
have in this glorious battle taken 7000 to 9000 prisoners, 
22 guns, and 15 flags. 

The chef de brigade of the 39th having been killed, I 
have appointed citoj^en Lannes to replace him. 

16th. (To the Directoire.) To-day I must render you 
an account of our action at Dego. We estimate the 
enemy's loss at 2000 men. Major Murat contributed 
largely to our success. 

The enemy are much stronger than we anticipated, 
fight well, and outnumber us in cavalry and artillery. 



iET.26] A DIARY 21 

I have not a single engineer officer to reconnoitre Ceva, 
and must go there myself. 

22d, Lesegno: 

(To the Directoire.) I have to render account of the 
action at Mondovi and of our occupation of that city. 
Driven from Ceva, the Piedmontese army took up a posi- 
tion at the confluence of the Corsaglia and the Tanaro, 
their right on Vico, their centre on the Bicocca. General 
Serrurier attacked their right, crossed the bridge under 
fire, and after three hours' fighting drove them from the 
village. The enemy's position was very strong. We spent 
the day making demonstrations so as to cover our real 
intentions. My object was to throw myself on Mondovi. 
However, at two in the morning. General Colli began his 
retreat in the direction of that city. At daybreak the 
struggle began in the village of Vico. The enemy lost 1800 
men, 11 flags, and 8 guns. The 20th dragoons, led into 
action by citoyen Murat, distinguished itself. 

(To the army.) The general in command congratulates 
the army on Its courage, and on its daily successes against 
the enemy; but he has seen with horror the frightful pil- 
lage committed by degraded individuals who rejoin their 
corps after the battle is over to Indulge in excesses that 
disgrace the army and France. It is therefore ordered: 
the generals shall within twenty-four hours, hand in a 
report on the conduct of all commanding officers under 
their orders. The generals are empowered to relieve from 
duty all officers who, by their example, have counte- 
nanced the horrible pillage of these last few days. Their 
names shall be sent to their Departments so that they may 
incur the contempt of their fellow citizens. 



22 THE CORSICAN [i796 

23d, Carru: 

(To General Colli.) Sir: The Directoire has reserved to 
itself the right of negotiating peace; the plenipotentiaries 
of the king your master must therefore proceed to Paris. 
The military and moral situation of the two armies makes 
an armistice pure and simple entireh' out of the question. 
I must decline, on vague presumptions, to suspend my 
march. There is, however, a way of attaining your object; 
it is by placing me in possession of Coni, Alessandria, and 
Tortona. This proposal is a very moderate one. 

24th. An armistice for one month, guaranteed by the 
possession of two fortresses, would be of great service to 
the Republic. It would give me time enough to overrun 
Austrian Lombardy. 

(To the Directoire.) You cannot conceive the state that 
this army is in, — it has no bread, no discipline. Our lack 
of carts, our bad horses, our rapacious commissaries, have 
reduced us to absolute destitution. The life I lead is un- 
believable; worn out with my day's work, I have to sit up 
all night to administer, and to proceed in person every- 
where to restore order. Our starving soldiers commit ex- 
cesses that make one ashamed to be a man. I shall make 
some terrible examples. I will restore order, or cease to 
command these bandits. I have to face 100,000 men with 
only 34,000 infantry and 3500 cavalry. 

Citoycn Junot, my aide-de-camp, will present 21 flags 
to you. The army of Italy in sending you these standards, 
certificates of its valour, charges me to assure you of its 
devotion to the Constitution. 

2()th, Chcrasco: 

All goes well. The pillage has decreased. This first 



^T.26] A DIARY 23 

excess of an army that lacked everything is wearing 
off. The wretched men are excusable; they have reached 
the promised land, and cannot but be at it. To-morrow 
some of the men who have rifled a church will be shot. It is 
a painful thing to have to do, and costs me many pangs; 
horrors have been committed that make me shudder; for- 
tunately the Piedmontese army in its retreat behaved 
even worse. This splendid country will be of great help to 
us; from Mondovi alone we can raise a million. 

(To the army.) Soldiers ! In fifteen days you have won 
six victories, captured twenty-one flags, fifty-five guns, 
several fortresses, conquered the richest part of Pied- 
mont; you have made 15,000 prisoners; you have killed 
or wounded nearly 10,000 men. 

Until now you have fought for barren rocks. Lacking 
everything, you have accomplished everything. You 
have won battles without cannon, crossed rivers without 
bridges, made forced marches without boots, bivouacked 
without brandy, and often without bread. Only the 
phalanx of the Republic, only the soldiers of Liberty, 
could endure the things that you have suffered. 

But, soldiers, you have really done nothing, if there 
still lies a task before you. As yet, neither Milan nor 
Turin is yours. Our country has the right to expect 
great things of you; will you be worthy of that trust? 
There are more battles before you, more cities to capture, 
more rivers to cross. You all burn to carry forward the 
glory of the French people; to dictate a glorious peace; 
and to be able, when you return to your villages, to ex- 
claim with pride: "I belonged to the conquering army of 
Italy!" 



24 THE CORSICAN [i796 

Friends, that conquest, I promise, shall be yours; but 
there is a condition you must swear to observe : to respect 
the people you are liberating; to repress horrible pillage. 
All plunderers will be shot without mercy. 

People of Italy, the French army is here to break your 
chains; you may greet it with confidence. 

28th. (To the Directoire.) You will find herewith 
the armistice agreed on last night between General La 
Tour, commanding the Piedmontese army, and myself. 
Ceva, Coni, and Alessandria are in our power. If you 
should fail to come to a settlement with Sardinia, I can 
hold these fortresses and march on Turin. Meanwhile, to- 
morrow I move against Beaulieu. I shall seize Lombardy, 
and before a month has passed I expect to be in the 
mountains of the Tyrol. As to Sardinia, you can dictate 
whatever conditions of peace you choose, since I am in 
possession of the chief fortresses. If you will continue to 
trust me and to give my plans your approval, success is 
certain: Italy is yours. 

(To General Laharpe.) Start forAcquiat once, and pur- 
sue the Austrians; they are withdrawing and will cross 
the Po. 

29th. (To the Directoire.) My columns are mo\'ing; 
Beaulieu is retreating; I hope I shall catch him. I shall 
raise several millions from the Duke of Parma. He will 
send you proposals for peace, but don't be in a hurry; 
give me time to make him pay the expenses of the cam- 
paign. If you should not conchule peace with the King 
of Sardinia, if your intention is to dethrone him, you nuist 
play with him for several weeks, and notify me at once; 
I can then seize Valenza and march on Turin. 



^T. 26] A DIARY 25 

May 1st, Acqui: 

(To Faypoiilt, at Genoa. ) We are at Acqui since yester- 
day. Beaulieu's retreat is so rapid that we have failed to 
reach him. Send me a memorandum, geographical, his- 
torical, political, and topographical, on the imperial fiefs 
in the neighbourhood of Genoa, Send me a memorandum 
on the Dukes of Parma, of Piacenza, and of Modena, 
their troops, fortresses, and resources; send me also a 
schedule of the pictures, statues, cabinets, and curios of 
Milan, Parma, Piacenza, Modena, and Bologna. The 
Duke of Parma was to have concurred in the peace we 
made with Spain; how was it this was not done ? 

Send 6000 pairs of boots to Tortona immediately. 

6th, Tortona: 

(To the Directoire.) Yesterday we were cannonading 
the Austrians beyond the Po. This river is wide and very 
difficult to cross. My plan is to cross it as near Milan as 
possible, so as to leave no further obstacle between me 
and that capital. To-day we march on Piacenza. If I 
were to wait for a couple of pontoon bridges, I am certain 
we should not get over in July; my plan is to cross with 
rafts and flying bridges. 

It would be of advantage if you could send me three or 
four artists of repute to select the things we want to send 
to Paris. 

Since the campaign opened, General Berthier, chief of 
staff, has been constantly by my side in action, and at 
night at his desk; it is impossible to display greater en- 
ergy, together with zeal, courage, and technical knowledge. 

7th. Castel San Giovanni: 

The Austrian army had intrenched itself to cover the 



26 THE CORSICAN [1796 

Milanese. After various military and diplomatic feints 
to persuade it that I intended to cross at Valenza, I have 
made a forced march with 5000 grenadiers and 1500 horse 
on Castel San Giovanni. 

9 A.M. At the crossing of the Po 

We have reached the crossing of the Po, where the en- 
emy shows about 150 cavalry; the infantry must still be 
in the direction of Valenza. The general-in-chief is there- 
fore determined to cross at once with the advance guard. 

We jumped into the boats. Chef de brigade Lannes, 
brave and intelligent, was first on the bank. The divi- 
sions of the army are hurrying their march, since our 
movement is now unmasked. 

Afternoon : 

All the advance guard and Laharpe's di^^sion are 
across the Po. 

8th. Beaulieu, perceiving our movement, realizes too 
late that his fortifications at Pavia are useless, and 
that the French republicans are not so foolish as was 
Francis I! 

9th. (To Carnot.) Beaulieu has been surprised; his 
moves are weak, and he constantly walks into the traps 
that are set for him. What we have captured from the 
enemy is incalculable. I am sending you twenty i)i<.'lures 
by the greatest masters, Correggio, Michael Angelo. I 
owe you special thanks for your attentions to my wife; I 
commend her to your care; I love her madly. I hope, if all 
goes well, to send about ten millions to Paris, which might 
be useful for the army of the Rhine. Since Stengel's death 
I have not one single general officer of artillery who fights. 



iET.26] A DIARY 27 

I need two or three adjutant-generals who have dash and 
a firm resolve not to execute scientific retreats. 

At night: 

The enemy is retreating on Lodi. 

11th, Lodi: 

We made our way into Lodi, and found the bridge 
swept by 30 guns. The fire was very hot. As soon as the 
troops got up they were formed in soHd column, sup- 
ported by the grenadier battalions, the men cheering for 
the Republic, The bridge, 200 yards in length, was at- 
tacked. The enemy's fire was terrible. The head of our 
column appeared to waver. Generals Berthier, Massena, 
Lannes, rushed to the front and carried uncertain fortune 
with them. Our stalwart column broke down all resist- 
ance; in a flash, the hostile army was scattered. 

The battle of Lodi has conquered Lombardy for the 
Republic. 

Evening: (The grenadiers acclaim General Bonaparte 
as the little corporal.) 

14th. (To the Directoire.) Yesterday I sent one divi- 
sion to Milan; Beaulieu is at Mantua. 

I think it unwise to divide the army of Italy in two; 
it is against the interests of the Republic to give it to 
two generals. The move on Rome, Leghorn, Naples, is a 
small matter. There should not only be a single general, 
but he should be unfettered in his judgment and opera- 
tions. I have conducted this campaign without consulting 
any one; I would have done no good had I been guided by 
another's opinions. I have had some measure of success 
because my moves have been as quick as my thoughts. If 
you put shackles on me, you must be prepared for poor 



28 THE CORSICAN [1796 

results. Every man has his own fashion of making war. 
General Kellermann has had a longer experience and w411 
do better than I; but he and I together will only make a 
mess of it. If I am to render real service to the country, 
I must have your absolute confidence. I feel that it 
requires much courage to write you this letter; it would 
be so easy to accuse me of ambition or pride. 

17th, Milan: 

The tricolour flag floats over Milan, Pavia, Como, and 
all the cities of Lombardy, Orders are issued to equip the 
divisions w'ith all they need, so that they may soon resume 
active operations and carry them through with the rapid- 
ity and dash that have given us our victories. 

I have sent off to Tortona at least two millions' worth 
of jewels and silver ingots. 

20th. Soldiers! You have rolled down from the 
Apennines like a torrent; you have overthrown and scat- 
tered all that opposed your advance. Milan is yours, and 
the republican flag floats over Lombardy. The Po, the 
Ticino, the Adda, could not stay your advance for a single 
day. Yes, soldiers, you have accomplished much; but is 
there nothing left to do ? Come, forward ! ^Ve have more 
forced marches to make, more enemies to conquer, more 
laurels to win, more wrongs for which to claim revenge. 

21st. We have imposed 20 millions of francs on the 
Milanese. 

22d. The troops are marching towards the passes of the 
Tyrol. The Austrian army receives reinforcements daily. 

2.'3th, 2 A.M.: 

(To General Berthier.) 1 am just back from halfway to 
Pavia. We met about a thousand peasants at Binasco, 



^T.26] . A DIARY 29 

and defeated them. After killing a hundred or so, we 
burned the village, a terrible example which will have the 
desired effect; in an hour we shall start for Pa via, where 
the report is that our men are still holding out. 

(To the inhabitants of Lombardy.) A misguided mob, 
with no real means of defence, has committed acts of vio- 
lence in several districts. Such incredible folly deserves 
compassion; this unhappy people is misled and drawn to 
its own destruction. Those who do not lay their arms 
down within 24 hours will be treated as rebels; their vil- 
lages will be burnt. May their eyes be opened by the ter- 
rible example of Binasco! Every city and village that 
continues in rebellion will meet with the same fate. 

General Despinoy will immediately assemble a court- 
martial to sentence, in the course of the day, persons 
caught with arms in their possession during the riot that 
has occurred in Milan, and to have those who are con- 
victed of participation in the insurrection shot. The exe- 
cution is to be carried out within 24 hours. 

26th, Pa via: 

At daybreak I marched on Pavia. The city appeared to 
be defended by a large mass of people, and to be in a state 
of defence; the citadel had been captured and our soldiers 
were prisoners. I ordered the guns up. General Dommar- 
tin formed the 6th grenadiers in solid column, axe in hand, 
and two fieldpieces at the head. The gates were broken 
in; the mob scattered to the cellars and to the roofs, at- 
tempting in vain, by throwing down tiles, to prevent our 
entering the streets. I had the town councillors shot. 
To-day everything is quite calm. 



30 THE CORSICAN [1796 

28th, Brescia: 

Any village in which the tocsin is rung shall be burned 
down. 

Wo are now on the territory of the Venetian republic, a 
neutral country, in which individuals and property must 
be rigidly respected. 

30th, Valeggio: 

To-day Massena's and Augereau's divisions attacked 
the passage of the Mincio. The enemy have been com- 
pletely defeated along the line of this river, which was 
crossed by a part of our troops with water up to their 
armpits. The enemy left us five guns and the store of 
medicines for their ambulances. They are in full retreat 
all along the line. 

(To Carnot.) I am in despair; my wife doesn't come, 
some lover keeps her in Paris. I curse all women, but I 
embrace my excellent friends. 

31st, Peschiera: 

The enemy has crossed the Adige, and only the garri- 
son of Mantua remains, which will soon be destroyed by 
the unhealthiness of its marshes ! Vive la Republique ! The 
Austrians are driven entirely out of Italy. 

June 1st. (To the Directoire.) I could not name all the 
soldiers who have distinguished themselves for courage. 
Nothing could equal their bravery. You would suppose 
that once at their bivouac they would at least sleep; 
nothing of the sort, — every man sets to work spinning 
yarns or drawing up the next day's plan of operations. 
The other day I was watching a demi-brigade filing by, 
a light infantryman steps uj) to my horse: (uMieral, — 
says he, — we must do so and so. — Rascal, I answered. 



MT.26] A DIARY 31 

shut your mouth, will you ? — He promptly vanished; I 
sent for him in vain; what he had said was precisely what 
I had given orders to do. 

I am sending off from Milan to-morrow one hundred 
carriage horses, the finest that could be found in Lom- 
bardy; they will replace the mediocre hacks that draw 
your carriages at present. 

5th, Roverbella: 

The general-in-chief has gone to Milan; headquarters 
remain at Roverbella. 

7th, Milan: 

(To the Directoire.) When Beaulieu perceived that we 
were marching on the Mincio, he seized the fortress of 
Peschiera, which belongs to the Venetians. Two days 
later, the action at Borghetto and the passage of the 
Mincio placed it in our hands. The proveditore came to 
offer me hasty explanations; I received him stiffly, and 
declared that I would march on Venice in person to pro- 
test to the Senate against so patent an act of bad faith. 
There was great alarm in Venice. If you wish to extract 
5 or 6 millions from Venice, here is a pretext all ready to 
your hand. If your policy goes beyond this, my advice 
would be to keep the matter open and to wait for a fa- 
vourable moment, for we must not have everybody on 
our hands at once. 

I shall soon be at Bologna. Is it your wish that I should 
then grant an armistice to the Pope, in return for 25 mil- 
lions in money, 5 millions in foodstuffs, 300 pictures, 
statues and MSS. in proportion ? 

8th. We have surrounded the city of Mantua. This 
fortress is unapproachable for the moment because of the 
flooded state of the rivers. 



32 THE CORSICAN [1796 

11th. Lombardy is perfectly quiet. Political songs 
are in every mouth. The people are becoming used to 
Liberty. It might be worth while to form a Lombard 
battalion. 

The general-in-chief understands that, notwithstanding 
his repeated orders, looting still continues. Such infamous 
conduct makes it impossible longer to delay employing 
drastic methods. It is therefore ordered that any soldier, 
of whatsoever rank, caught in the act, shall be shot. 

loth, Tortona: 

The Emperor is saying to everybody that in August he 
will reenter Italy. His troops are everywhere on the 
march, even in Poland. 

(To Faypoult, at Genoa.) I am sending you General 
Murat, my aide-de-camp; please take him to the Senate 
immediately so that he may present the letter which he 
will show you. If you were to present it, it would take 
two weeks to get an answer, and it is necessary to com- 
municate after a fashion that is more likely to electrify 
these gentlemen. 

20th, Bologna: 

We are in Bologna since yesterday. We have made 700 
prisoners and found 40 guns. The Cardinal Legate is a 
prisoner of war. Chef de brigade Lannes commands the 
infantry of the advance guard; General Murat the ad- 
vance guard itself. 

21st. The Modena pictures have started. Citoyen 
Barthelemy is now engaged selecting the Bologna ones. 
He cxpcols to lake about fifty. Afongo, Berllu)llet, and 
Thouin are at Pavia, at work enriching our natural his- 
tory specimens. I hope they will not overlook a complete 



^T.26] A DIARY 33 

collection of snakes which seemed to be well worth the 
journey. 

An intercepted letter from Vienna states that General 
Wurmser will command the army in Italy. One division 
has already occupied the passes of the Grisons. 

I have given the Cardinal Legate leave to proceed to 
Rome. I told him that if the Pope would send us peace 
proposals and would pay a contribution of war promptly, 
he might perhaps find a support yet in the French Repub- 
lic. The heat is excessive; and we have not one moment 
to spare for recrossing the Po and concentrating our troops 
against the Austrians. I shall be at Leghorn on the 29th; 
I hope we shall have concluded an armistice with the 
Pope by then. As we shall have concluded this armistice 
more with the dog days than with the Pope, my feeling is 
against making peace, so that in September, if we prosper, 
we can seize Rome. 

26th, Pistoja: 

(To the Directoire.) You will find herewith the condi- 
tions of the armistice with the Pope. M. D'Azara had the 
impudence to offer us five millions in money and three 
millions in foodstuffs. Seeing he could get no abatement 
out of me, he turned to the Government Commissioners, 
and worked them so well that he discovered our secret, 
which is the impossibility of our marching to Rome. On 
that we could only get 20 millions out of him, by making 
a march on Ravenna. I had always stipulated that we 
should get the treasure of Our Lady of Loretto, which, I 
thought, was agreed; but he so twisted and turned that 
we had to accept one million instead. This manner of ne- 
gotiating three handed is very prejudicial to the interests 



34 THE CORSICAN [i796 

of the Republic. This negotiation, in which the Republic 
has lost 10 millions, has been extremely disagreeable to 
me. There was no difficulty as to the other conditions 
save for the MSS., which they did not want to give up; on 
that score, too, we had to come down from two or three 
thousand to five hundred. 

July 2d, Bologna: 

I saw at Florence the famous Venus, for which there 
should be room in our Museum, and a collection of ana- 
tomical models in wax which it would be desirable to 
acquire. Fontana is willing to undertake having these 
copied for us. It would cost little, and would be of advan- 
tage to us in a matter so useful to humanity. 

Our art commissioners behave well and work hard. 
The scientists have garnered a fine harvest at Pavia. 

I am starting for Mantua. I expect to open the trenches 
on the 9th. The enemy wnll probably manoeuvre to 
relieve the fortress; we shall then engage, if necessary. 

5th, Roverbella: 

(To General Despinoy.) Hurry on the artillery; don't go 
to sleep among the pleasures of Milan; and whatever you 
do, don't write letters to upset our poor chief of staff, 
who, ever since you mentioned a lovely actress who 
awaits him in Milan, is dying of impatience to get there. 

(To Josephine.) I am dead tired. Please start at once for 
Verona; I need you, for I feel as though I were going to 
be seriously ill. A thousand kisses. I am in bed. 

9th, Verona: 

(To General Despinoy.) I am in a rage with every one 
at Milan. Nothing gets here, no artillery, no officers, 
no gunners. I am sending you an aide-de-camp to stir 



^T.26] A DIARY 35 

things up. In the present situation days equal centuries. 
There is a company of artillery I have been expecting this 
last century; it has stopped on the way. I had ordered 600 
horses to Coni; they are all dead on the road I suppose, 
as I haven't heard a word of them. 

11th, Marmirolo: 

(To Faypoult.) I have not yet seen M. Cattaneo; when 
I do I shall not forget to put him to sleep, and to inspire 
the Senate with a little more confidence. The hour of 
Genoa has not struck, because the Austrians are growing 
in numbers and we shall soon have a battle. The policy 
of the Directoire as to Genoa does not as yet seem quite 
clear. 

12th, Verona: 

(To the Directoire.) Would it not be as well to start a 
little quarrel at once with the Minister of Venice in Paris, 
so that as soon as I have taken Mantua I can make an 
opportunity for asking them, as you desire I should, for 
several millions ? 

17th, Marmirolo: 

(To Josephine.) I have received your letter, adorable 
friend, and it has filled my heart with joy. I thank you 
for troubling to send me news of yourself. Since leaving 
you, I have been constantly sad. Your kisses, your tears, 
your playful jealousy, haunt my mind; and the charms 
of the incomparable Josephine set a bright and burning 
flame blazing in my heart and in my senses. When shall 
I be free from all worries, from all business, so as to spend 
my hours near you, with nothing to do but to love you, 
and nothing to think of but to tell it and to prove it you ? 
Since I first knew you, I adore you more and more every 



36 THE CORSICAN [179C 

daj', which proves the untruth of La Bruyere's maxim, 
that love comes suddenly. All things in nature run their 
course, and vary in their growth. Ah! I implore you, let 
me witness some of your defects; be less beautiful, less 
amiable, less tender, less good, — above all, above all, 
never be jealous, never weep; your tears affect my reason 
and scorch my blood. 

18th. I passed the night under arms. A bold and 
fortunate stroke would have given me Mantua; but the 
waters in the lake began to go down rapidly, so that the 
column in the boats was not able to disembark. I was in 
the village of Virgil, on the shore of the lake, by a silvery 
moonlight; and I could not cease thinking of Josephine 
for one moment. 

19th. We attacked Mantua yesterday. We warmed 
it up with two batteries firing red-hot shot, and with 
mortars. All through the night the wretched city was 
blazing, a horrible but grand spectacle. We captured sev- 
eral outworks, and shall open our trenches to-night. I 
start to-morrow for Castiglione with headquarters, and 
expect to sleep there. 

22d, Castiglione: 

(To Josephine.) The situation of the army makes my 
presence here necessary; it is out of the question for me to 
go so far as Milan. Come, quickly, and join me; be happy 
and without fear. 

29th, Montechiaro, morning : 

The enemy have forced our positions at La Corona. An 
effort will l>e made for their recapture. We must attack 
them, and defeat them. 

Afternoon: General Augereau is to retreat on Roverbclla. 



2BT.26] A DIARY 37 

Roverbella, evening : 

The fighting at La Corona makes it necessary to move 
the heavy baggage of the army back to Milan by Cre- 
mona. I am expecting Berthier impatiently. The situa- 
tion is decidedly critical. To-morrow will, I hope, turn 
out better for us. 

Part of Massena's division has been driven in. I am 
starting for Castelnovo with a few demi-brigades. Per- 
haps we can reestablish things. 

30th, Castelnovo: 

The army's unfortunate position is this : that the enemy 
have broken through our lines at three points; they hold 
Rivoli; Massena and Joubert have had to retreat; Sauret 
has fallen back on Desenzano; the enemy have seized 
Brescia. Our communications with Milan are cut. 

31st, Roverbella: 

(To General Kilmaine.) It is absolutely necessary that 
you should attack the enemy at Montechiaro. As I am in 
great haste, send a copy of this order to General Mass6na. 

Generals Augereau, Rampon, Cervoni, are marching on 
Montechiaro, which their advance guard will reach at 
4 A. M. The attack on Brescia must be renewed. General 
Serrurier on receiving the order to evacuate (the lines of) 
Mantua will occupy Marcaria. 

August 2d, Brescia: 

(To Saliceti.) For a moment fortune appeared to have 
turned against us. So much has happened these last five 
or six days, that I can render you no complete account; 
but at last, thanks to the battle of Lonato and my vigor- 
ous measures, things are beginning to look better. I have 



38 THE CORSICAN [1796 

raised the siege of Mantua, and am here with nearly the 
whole army. I shall seize the first opportunity of engaging 
the enemy, and thereby settling the fate of Italy. We are 
worn out; I have killed five horses. 

We have had reverses, but victory is inclined to rejoin 
our standards. 

6th, Castiglione: 

All through the 2d Wurmser was concentrating, draw- 
ing all the troops he could from Mantua, ranging them 
between Solferino and the Chiese. He brought together 
25,000 men. The fate of Italy was still in suspense. 

I also gave orders for concentrating my columns. I 
proceeded in person to Lonato; imagine my surprise when 
a flag came in summoning the commandant of Lonato to 
surrender because, so it was said, he was surrounded! 
There were, in point of fact, columns in touch with our 
outposts, and the Brescia road was cut. I realized that 
these troops could be only the debris of a division that had 
been cut off and was trying to force its way through our 
lines. The position was an awkward one, as I had not 
more than 1200 men with me. I ordered the officer with 
the flag to be brought before me and his ej^es unbandagcd. 
I informed him that if, within the space of eight minutes, 
his division had not surrendered, I should give no quarter. 
The officer was astounded at seeing me there, and a mo- 
ment later his column laid down their arms; it was 4000 
strong. 

On the 3d, at daybreak, the armies were in presence. I 
ordered our troops to fall back so as to draw the enemy 
towards us while Serrurier was turning Wurmscr's left. 
The moment we saw Serrurier's division, I ordered Adju- 



J3T.26] A DIARY 39 

tant-General Verdier to attack. After a heavy cannonade 
the enemy's left was routed. Augereau attacked their 
centre; Massena their right. We were victorious all along 
the line. 

We have, therefore, in five days, fought another cam- 
paign. Wurmser has lost 70 guns, all his transport, 12,000 
to 15,000 prisoners, 6000 killed and wounded. 

At night, on the battlefield: 

The moonlight was lovely; suddenly, from out the deep 
solitude of the night, a dog, crawling from under a dead 
man's clothes, dashed at us, but only to return quickly 
to his lair, howling plaintively. He licked his master's 
face, then turned on us again; it seemed as though he both 
asked for help and cried out for vengeance. Whether it 
was my mood, or the place, the hour, the incident itself, 
or something unaccountable, yet I can truly say that 
never anything on a field of battle moved me so much. 
Involuntarily I stopped to watch. Perhaps, said I to my- 
self, the man has friends, and he lies here abandoned by 
all except his dog! What a lesson for nature to read us 
through the act of a dog! 

8th, Verona: 

Here we are, back in our old positions. The enemy's 
retreat has carried them far into the Tyrol. The Austrian 
army has vanished like a dream, and threatened Italy is 
at peace once more. 

13th, Brescia: 

The Court of Rome believed we were lost, and sent a 
legate to Ferrara. I have ordered this Cardinal to come to 
headquarters. 

14th. (To the Directoire.) I think it as well, Citoyens 



40 THE CORSICAN [i796 

Diredeurs, to give you my opinion of the generals on 
duty with this army: 

Berthier: talent, energy, courage, force, everything. 

Augereau: strong character, courage, firmness, energy; 
has much experience of war, is liked by the soldiers, and is 
fortunate in what he undertakes. 

Massena: active, indefatigable; has boldness, instinct, 
and decision. 

Serrurier: fights hke a soldier; lacks initiative; firm; has 
too low an opinion of his men; is ill. 

Despinoy: flabby, no energy, no boldness; is not made 
for warfare; is not liked by his men, and won't lead them 
into action; but high-minded, intelligent, and sound in 
politics; good for a home command. 

Sauret: good, very good soldier; not enough education 
for a general; not lucky. 

Abbatucci: not fit to command fifty men. 

Garnier, Meunier, Casabianca: incapable; not fit to 
command a battahon in so hvely and difiicult a campaign 
as this. 

Macquart: a good fellow; no talent; dash. 

Gaulticr: good for oflfice work; has never seen active 
service. 

How many blunders Murat has committed for the sake 
of placing his headquarters in a castle where there were 
women ! 

18th. I\Iy wife has arrived. 

In four or five days the invincible army of Italy will 
open a new campaign. We shall force the passes of the 
Tyrol and conclude the war in Germany. 



iET.27] A DIARY 41 

31st. (To Josephine.) I am just starting for Verona. 
I had expected a letter from you; it makes me most 
anxious. You were not very well when I left you; I beg 
of you don't keep me in such anxiety. Three days and 
no letter; I have written several. Your absence is hor- 
rible, the nights are long, boresome, dull, the days are 
monotonous. 

To-day, alone with my thoughts, my work, my busi- 
ness, with men and their vain projects, I have not a single 
line from you to press to my heart. 

The headquarters have moved; I start in an hour. 

September 3d, Ala: 

(To Josephine.) We are on the march, adorable friend. 
We have swept back the enemy's outposts. The troops 
are gay and in high spirits. 

No letters from you, — I am really worried ; however, 
I am told you are well, that you have even made an 
excursion on the lake of Como. Every day I am waiting 
impatiently a letter with news from you; you know how 
precious it will be. Away from you I don't exist; the 
happiness of life is at the side of my gentle Josephine. 
Think of me! Write often, very often; it's the only cure 
for absence. 

6th, Trent: 

6000 or 7000 prisoners, 25 guns, 7 flags, these are the 
results of the battle of Roveredo, one of the most success- 
ful of the campaign. At eight o'clock in the morning of 
the 5th Massena occupied Trent. Wurmser abandoned 
the city to seek refuge towards Bassano. General Vaubois 
is pursuing the enemy. I shall reach Bassano on the 8th. 
If the enemy stand their ground, there will be a battle. 



42 THE CORSICAN [1796 

• 9th, Bassano: 

Our march of twenty leagues in two days has com- 
pletely disconcerted the enemy. We have captured five 
flags; chef de brigade Lannes took two with his own hand. 
We are pursuing a division of 8000 men, all that is left 
of the formidable army which, a month ago, threatened 
to drive us from Italy. In six days we have fought two 
battles and four engagements. We have captured 21 flags, 
and have taken 16,000 prisoners. We have covered more 
than 45 leagues. 

Chef de brigade Lannes to be brigadier-general. 

10th, Montebello: 

(To Josephine.) We have never met with such great 
and steady successes. Italy, the Friuli, the Tyrol, are safe 
for the Republic. In a few days we shall meet; that will 
be the sweetest reward for all my troubles and labours. 
A thousand burning and loving kisses. 

15th, Verona: 

I like the Poles. The partition of Poland was an iniqui- 
tous deed that cannot stand. When I have finished the 
war in Italy, I will lead the French myself and force the 
Russians to reestablish Poland. 

17th. (To Josephine.) I write frequently, dear friend, 
and you very seldom. You are perverse, and wicked, 
very wicked, and your conduct is frivolous. Don't you 
think it's a little too bad to deceive a poor husband, 
a tender lover ? IMust he lose every claim because he 
is at a distance, loaded with work, fatigue, and care ? 
Without his Josephine, witiiout her love, what would 
there be left on earlli ? What could he live for? Aditni, 
adorable Josephine, one of these nights your door will 



^T.27] A DIARY 43 

burst open; the rush of a jealous man, and I am in your 
arms! 

26th, Milan: 

(To Cardinal Mattel.) Sir, I am persuaded because of 
your high character, which is praised by every one, to 
permit you to return to Ferrara, and to draw the veil over 
your conduct last month. 

I shall assume that you merely forgot for a moment 
a principle which your knowledge of the Scriptures will 
recall to you: that the priest who intervenes in political 
matters forfeits the privileges of his position. Return to 
your bishopric; practise virtue; and don't ever meddle in 
politics. 

October 1st. The army of observation is 18,000 strong; 
the blockading army 9000. The Emperor will have 
50,000 men in six wrecks. 

2d. (To the Directoire.) Venice is alarmed, and is 
hatching something with the King of Naples and the 
Pope. We can do nothing with them till Mantua is ours. 
The King of Naples has 60,000 men on foot. 
I The Grand Duke of Tuscany is a cipher, from every 
point of view. 

The Duke of Parma behaves fairly well; he also is a 
cipher, from every point of view. 

Rome is strong on the score of fanaticism. 

If you insist on making war against Rome and Naples, 
we must be reinforced with 45,000 men. Keep negotia- 
tions with Rome open until we are ready to march on that 
proud city. 

(To His Majesty the Emperor of Germany.) Your 
Majesty, Europe wants peace. This disastrous war has 



44 THE CORSICAN [1796 

lasted too long. I have the honour of warning your 
Majesty that unless plenipotentiaries are sent to Paris, 
my orders from the Directoire are to fill in the port of 
Trieste. I hope that your Majesty will restore peace and 
repose to the world. 

(To General Kellermann, at Lyons.) How'ever much 
the 40th may be needed at Lyons, it is indispensable that 
it should be sent here. On the whole, I think it will pay 
better to risk some fisticuffs in Lyons, but to maintain 
our conquest of Italy. 

Think this over, my dear general, with your usual pa- 
triotic sentiments; send us help as promptly as you can, 
if you want us to continue sending you 700,000 francs. 

8th. (To the Directoire.) My health is so shattered that 
I must ask you to find me a successor. 

11th. The national colours of the Lombard legion are 
green, white, and red. 

Large bodies of the Emperor's troops are moving in the 
Tyrol. 

The rains still cause much sickness in our ranks, 

12th. (To the Directoire.) You doubtless assumed 
that your commissaries would steal, but do their work; 
they steal so impudently that had I a month to spare, 
there is not one I could not have shot. I am constantly 
having them arrested; but the judges are bought up: 
this is a fair, everything is for sale. 

Thevenin is a thief; he flaunts his extravagance in our 
faces; he has sent nic several fine horses that I needed; I 
took them, but cannot make him accept payment. Have 
him arrested; keep him six months in prison; he is good 
for 500,000 francs in cash. 



^T. 27] A DIARY 45 

The transport service is full of emigres; they call them- 
selves Royal-Charrois, and sport green collars under my 
very eyes. As you may imagine, I am constantly ordering 
arrests, but they have a Kabit of being where I am not. 

The new agent appears to be an improvement on 
Thevenin. This, you understand, refers only to the 
thieves on a large scale. Would you believe that attempts 
are made to bribe my secretaries in my very oflSce ? 

This denunciation is on my soul and conscience, as 
member of the jury. They are all spies. There is not an 
army agent who is not hoping for our defeat, and corre- 
sponding with the enemy; most of them are emigres; it is 
they reveal our numbers; and I have to be more careful 
of them than of Wurmser. 

17th, Modena: 

Bologna, Modena, Reggio, and Ferrara have convened 
a congress. They are animated with the greatest enthusi- 
asm and the purest patriotism; they see already Italy new 
made. A legion of 2500 men is being organized, equipped, 
clothed, and paid at their own expense, and without our 
intervention. Should these troops make a good showing, 
the consequences might be very important. 

(To Josephine.) I was in the saddle all yesterday; to-day 
I am in bed. Fever and a bad headache have prevented 
me from writing to my adorable friend; but her letters 
have reached me, I have pressed them to my heart and 
to my lips, ^nd the pangs of absence have vanished. For a 
moment I could imagine you at my side, no longer capri- 
cious and vexed, but gentle, tender, with all that gra- 
ciousness and goodness that belong only to Josephine. It 
was a dream; guess whether it cured my fever. Your let- 



46 THE CORSICAN [1796 

ters are as frigid as fifty years old; they suggest fifteen 
years of marriage. Tliey convey the friend; hip, the senti- 
ments, of the winter of hfe. Fie, Josephine! It is wicked, 
it is bad, it is treasonable of you! What more can you do 
to make me unhappy? Love me no more ? Eh! That's 
already done! Hate me ? — Well, let it be! Everything 
degrades save hatred. But indifiFerence, with its marble 
pulse, its steady stare, its even step , . . ! 

21st, Ferrara: 

(To Cardinal Mattel.) The Court of Rome has declined 
the offers of the Directoire; it is arming, it wants war; it 
shall have it. But I owe to my countrj^ to humanity, to 
myself, one last effort to bring the Pope to sentiments 
more moderate and more in keeping with his sacred 
office. Go to Rome, see the Holy Father, enlighten him 
as to his true interests. An arrangement is still possible. 

24th, Verona: *. • 

The bishop cardinal of Ferrara, a Roman prince with a 
revenue of 150,000 francs, gives all to the people and lives 
in his church. I have sent him to Rome on the pretext of 
negotiating, but really to get rid of him : he was delighted 
with his mission. 

The Pope's folly is incredible. My intention is to get as 
far as Ancona under cover of the armistice, and there to 
declare myself. The art of the thing will be to keep on 
juggling for the present, so as to deceive the old fox. 

25th. (To Carnot.) You will have seen by my brother's 
(Lucien) letter, what a hothead he is. He got himself 
compromised several times in 'OJJ. notwithstanding my 
constant advice. He was bound he would be a Jacobin. 
As Corsica is now free you would oblige me by ordering 



iET.27] A DIARY 47 

him there, since his wrongheadedness makes his stay with 
the army of the Rhine no longer possible. 

26th. I have appointed Muiron, Sulkowsky, and Duroc 
my aides-de-camp. 

November 2d. (To Massena.) Send me a galloper every 
three hours with news. We are ready to move forward. 

3d. The enemy have crossed the Piave. 

5th. Last night General Vaubois fell back on Rove- 
redo. 

7th, Rivoli: 

Soldiers! I am no longer proud of you I You have 
shown no discipline, no steadiness, no courage; you have 
abandoned every position. Men of the 39th and of the 
85th, you are no longer French soldiers. Chief of staff, — 
put on their flags: They are no longer of the army of Italy! 

13th, Verona: 

I am doing my d^^^, so is the army. My feelings are 
torn, but my conscience is at rest. Send us help ! Send us 
help! The Minister of War sends me 6000 efifectives, 3000 
present; when they reach Milan, they number 1500. 

At 3 o'clock in the morning of tire 11th, hearing that 
the enemy had camped at Villanova, we marched from 
Verona. On the 12th, at dawn, we found the enemy. 
They had 22,000 men, and we 12,000. General Augereau 
got possession of the village of Caldiero, and Massena of 
the hill on the enemy's flank. But the rain was all for our 
opponents, (and they remained) masters of the position. 

The weather is still bad. The army is harassed with 
fatigue and short of boots. I have led it into Verona, 
which we have just reached. For to-day we must rest the 
troops. To-morrow we can act. 



48 THE CORSICAN [1796 

The pick of the army is wounded; all our generals are 
off duty. The army of Italy, now a handful of men, is at 
the last gasp. Joubert, Lannes, Lanusse, Victor, Murat, 
Chabot, Dupuy, Rampon, Pijon, Chabran, St. Hilaire, 
are wounded. The few who are left feel death inevitable 
with such depleted ranks. Perhaps the knell of brave 
Augereau, of indomitable Massena, of Berthier, my own, 
is about to ring. 

We shall make one last effort. 

(To Josephine.) I love you no longer; indeed, I hate 
you. You are a wicked woman, stupid, tactless, and fool- 
ish. You have stopped writing to me; you don't love 
your husband; you know how much pleasure your letters 
give him, and you don't write him so much as six hap- 
hazard lines. 

How is your day spent, madame ? What are the impor- 
tant matters that give you no time to write to your good 
lover ? What passion stifles the love, the tender and con- 
stant love, that you promised him ? 

Seriously, I am anxious, dear friend, at not hearing 
from you. Quick, wTite me four pages, and some of those 
sweet things that fill my heart with sentiment and pleasure. 

Soon I hope to clasp you in my arms, and to cover you 
with a million kisses as burning as the equator. 

14th, Villafranca: 

Should General Vaubois be attacked at Rivoli, he is to 
resist stiffly, and hang on till night. The army is making 
a movement to cross the Adige and attack the enemy 
to-morrow. 

19th, Verona: 

(To the Dircctoire.) I am so exhausted that I cannot give 



^T.27] A DIARY 49 

you the detail of the movements preceding the battle of 
Areola, which has just decided the fate of Italy. 

Getting information that Marshal Alvintzy was march- 
ing on Verona, I slipped away along the Adige with 
Augereau's and Massena's divisions. At Ronco, I threw a 
bridge of boats. I hoped to strike at Villanova and cap- 
ture the artillery and baggage of the enemy, and attack 
their rear. The enemy, however, had thrown several reg- 
iments into the village of Areola, in the midst of the 
marshes and canals. This village held our advance guard 
in check all day. Generals Verdier, Bon, Verne, and 
Lannes were put out of action. 

Augereau, seizing a flag, carried it to the end of the 
bridge. Cowards, — he shouted to his men, — do you fear 
death ? — He staid there several minutes. We had got to 
carry the bridge. I went to the front myself. I asked the 
soldiers if they were still the victors of Lodi. My appear- 
ance produced such an impression on the men that I 
decided to attempt the passage once more. General 
Lannes, already twice wounded, returned and received a 
third wound. General VignoUe was wounded. We had to 
give up the frontal attack on the village, and wait for the 
arrival of General Guieu's column from Albaredo. It did 
not come up till night. 

' At earliest dawn the fighting was renewed with great 
spirit. On the left Massena routed the enemy and pur- 
sued them to Areola. The trophies of the battle of Areola 
are 4000 or 5000 prisoners, 4 flags, 18 guns. Two of my 
aides-de-camp were killed, Elliot and Muiron, both offi- 
cers of great promise. 

(To Carnot.) There was never a more desperate fight 



50 THE CORSICAN [1796 

than at Areola. I have hardly any generals left; their 
devotion and courage are unparalleled. Lannes came to 
the battlefield from a sick-bed. On the first day he was 
twice wounded; he was lying on a bed of suffering when he 
was informed that I myself had gone to the head of the 
column. He jumped out of bed, got on a horse, and sought 
me out. As he couldn't stand on his feet, he had to remain 
on horseback; and at the head of the bridge of Areola a 
shot struck him down senseless. I can assure you that all 
that was needed to give us a victory. You must send us 
reinforcements promptly, for we cannot repeat what we 
have already accomplished. You know what the French 
temperament is, — rather inconstant. Our splendid 
demi-brigades, weakened by so many victories, are now 
but ordinary troops. 

22d. (To Josephine.) I am just off to bed, dear little 
Josephine, my heart full of your adorable face, and in 
bitter sorrow at being kept so long from your side; but I 
hope to be better situated in a few days, and to be able to 
give you proof of the ardent love with which you have 
filled me. Cruel woman ! You no longer write to me, you 
no longer think of your good friend. Don't you know that, 
deprived of you, of your love, there is no peace, no happi- 
ness, no life for your husband ? Heavens ! how happy I 
would be watching you making your charming toilet; a 
little shoulder, a little white breast, so firm and so soft, 
and above it all that fascinating little face in its Creole 
handkerchief ! Life, happiness, pleasure, are only what you 
make them. To live with Josephine is to live in Elysium, 
— kisses on your mouth, your eyes, your shoulder, your 
breast. ... 



^T.27] A DIARY 51 

27th, Milan: 

(To Josephine.) I arrive at Milan, I rush to your room; 
I had left everything to see you, to press you in my arms, 
— you were not there, you were junketing in other cities; 
you run away when I come; you care no more for your 
dear Napoleon. Your love was a caprice; inconstancy 
makes you indifferent. 

Accustomed as I am to danger, I know where to find a 
remedy for the worries and woes of existence. My misfor- 
tune is incalculable; I was entitled not to expect it. 

I shall stay here till the afternoon of the 29th. That 
need not interfere with your arrangements; amuse your- 
self; happiness was made for you. All the world is happy 
if it can please you; your husband alone is unhappy. Ah! 
Josephine! Josephine! 

December 5th. (To Lalande.) I have received your letter. 
I have immediately forwarded the one inclosed for the 
Milan astronomer. Whenever I am able to render a ser- 
vice to science, I gratify my own feelings and am sure that 
I am acquiring honour. Among all the sciences astronomy 
is the one which has rendered the greatest services to rea- 
son and to commerce. To share the night between a 
beautiful woman and a lovely sky; to spend the day 
checking observation by calculation, — that is happiness 
on earth. 

8th. (To the Proveditore of the Republic of Venice.) 
Sir: I have failed to recognise in the note which you 
have handed me the conduct of French troops, but have 
rather seen that of those of the Emperor, who have every- 
where committed horrors at which I shudder. 

The style of the note issued from Verona is that of a 



52 THE CORSICAN [1796 

poor student of rhetoric. Eh! good God! Mr. Provedi- 
tore, the evils of war are bad enough, I assure you, not to 
magnify them a hundred fold, and to broider on them 
ridiculous fairy tales! 

I give the lie in due form to any one who dares assert 
that there has been one single woman raped by the 
French troops in Venetian territory. One would imagine, 
from the ridiculous note handed to me, that not one 
church, not one woman, in the provinces of Verona and 
Brescia, has been respected! You threaten me with riot- 
ing and the rising of the cities. This looks very like de- 
fiance. Are you authorized to take this step by your 
government ? Does Venice wish to declare against us ? 

21st, Verona: 

The general-in-chief has reviewed Massena's and 
Augereau's divisions. He has seen with pleasure the good 
condition of the troops, but with regret the scarcity of 
bayonets. 

I had sooner see a soldier without his breeches than 
without his bayonet. 

28th, Milan: 

Alvintzy's army is on the Brenta and in the Tyrol. The 
army of the Republic is along the Adige, an advance 
guard in front of Verona and of Legnago. Mantua is 
closely blockaded. 

The art of war lies in calculating odds very closelj' to 
begin with, and then in adding exactly, almost mathe- 
matically, the factor of chance. Chance will always 
remain a sealed mystery for average minds. 



1797 

January 3d, Milan: 

(To General Berthier.) Give General Lannes orders to 
start for the loth demi-brigade in two hours, to take 
command. All the officers must march with their com- 
panies, and not in postchaises; they must look like a demi- 
brigade of the army of Italy, and not like a demi-brigade 
of the King of Persia. I will cashier any officer who trav- 
els by stage and is not with his company. 

6th. The more I study, in my leisure moments, the 
hopeless defects in the army service, the more I ana 
convinced something must be done quickly. Everything 
is bought and sold. The army consumes five times as 
much as is necessary. The leading actresses of Italy are 
kept by the employes of the French army; extravagance, 
immorality, and graft have reached their limit. There is 
only one remedy, — a judicial body that can sentence any 
army administrator to be shot. Marshal Berwick hanged 
his commissary because his army was short of food ; and 
we, we are often short. It is not that I am weak ; I have 
employes arrested every day, but nobody backs me up. 

12th, Roverbella: 

Orders for the reserve cavalry to march to-night to 
Legnago, and for General Massena to be ready to move 
to-night so as to check the enemy's possible plan of cross- 
ing the Adige. General Joubert, who has 10,000 men with 
him, is undisturbed; in any case, even if he were beaten 
while we are at Legnago, we should still have time. 



54 THE CORSICAN [1797 

13th, 9 A. M., Verona: 

(To General Joubert, at Rivoli.) Let me know as soon 
as you can if the enemy in front of you number more 
than 9000 men. It is very important I should be able to 
judge whether it is a minor movement, meant to deceive 
us. The enemy show about 6000 men in the direction of 
Verona. 

3 P.M.: 

The enemy's movement is unmasked; his forces are 
moving on Rivoli. 

Night: 

General Joubert having concentrated to defend the 
plateau of Rivoli, the general-in-chief is moving the 
greater part of Massena's division to support him. 

17th, Roverbella: 

(To the Directoire.) On the 14th we won the battle of 
Rivoli. We captured 13,000 prisoners, several flags, and 
some guns. On the 14th General Augereau attacked the 
enemy at Anghiari. He captured 2000 prisoners and IC 
guns; but in the night the enemy got away towards 
Mantua. Augereau got within cannon-shot, attacked 
St. George, but failed to carry it. I arrived in the night 
with reinforcements, which led to the battle of La Favor- 
ita, from which battlefield I am writing. The results of 
this battle are 7000 prisoners. So here, in three or four 
days, is the fifth army of the Emperor destroyed. 

18th, Verona: 

I reached Rivoli (on the 14th) at 2 a. m. I immediately 
ordered the im})ortant j)osition of San Marco to be reoc- 
cupied; and lined the i)lateau of Rivoli with artillery. At 
daybreak the fighting was fast and furious. Joubert with 



2ET.27] A DIARY 55 

the 33d supported his light infantry. Alvintzy didn't 
suspect that I had arrived in the night. Our left was 
briskly attacked, it fell back, and the enemy pushed 
in on our centre. The 14th held them up with great 
pluck. 

On the 16th brave General Pro vera asked to surrender. 
The army of the Republic has therefore in the space of 
four days made nearly 25,000 prisoners, taken 20 flags, 
60 guns, and killed or wounded at least 6000 men. All our 
demi-brigades covered themselves with glory. It is said 
that the Roman legions could march 24 miles a day; our 
brigades cover thirty, and do some fighting in between 
times. 

19th. A regiment is never destroyed by the enemy, 
sir; it is immortalized! 

20th. (To the Directoire.) I move 5000 men over the 
Po to-morrow, who will march straight on Rome. I send 
you 11 flags taken from the enemy in the battles of Rivoli 
and La Favorita. Bessi^res, who will hand them to you, 
is a brave and distinguished oflBcer. 

22d. (To Cacault, at Rome.) Citoyen Ministre: Pray 
leave Rome six hours after receiving this letter. They 
have made you stand endless humiliations; now you can 
leave. 

(To Cardinal Mattel.) The words of peace with which I 
sent you to the Holy Father have been stifled. It is time 
the curtain fell on this ridiculous comedy. Whatever hap- 
pens, the Holy Father may stay in Rome in full security. 
As chief priest of religion he is assured of protection, both 
for himself and his church. I shall see that no attempt is 
made to touch the religion of our fathers. 



(56 THE CORSICAN [1797 

28th. Nothing new at Mantua. On the 3d we shall 
open with shell. 

The weather is horrible, — rain in buckets for 48 hours. 

February 1st, Bologna: 

The armistice has been broken by the Roman govern- 
ment; I therefore declare that the armistice of the 2d of 
Messidor is at an end. 

The French army is entering Papal territory; it will 
be true to its principles and will protect religion and the 
people. 

2d. Capitulation of Mantua. 

3d, Faenza: 

I have made a point of displaying French generosity 
towards Wurmser, a general 70 years of age who has 
been very unfortunate. Besieged in INIantua, he made 
two or three sorties; they were all unlucky; he led them 
all in person, 
i 4th, ForH: 

Soldiers of Victor's division, I am not pleased with you ! 
The only glory you can reap in our present expedition 
is that which comes of good conduct. I therefore order: 
every soldier convicted of any injury to persons or pro- 
perty of the conquered shall be shot at the head of his 
battalion. 

10th, Ancona: 

(To Josephine.) We have been at Ancona these last 
two days. I have never been so bored as by this sorry 
campaign. / 

15th, Maccrala: 

(To the Direcloirc.) Ancona is a very gooil j)orl, within 
24 hours of Macedonia and ten days of Constantinople. 



ffiT.27] A DIARY 57 

We must keep Ancona when peace is made, and maintain 
it under the French flag; it will give us a hold on Tur- 
key. 

The treasure of Loretto amounted to three millions 
francs. They left about one million behind. I am sending 
you in addition the Madonna and all the relics. The 
Madonna is made of wood. 

Our troops will reach Foligno to-night. Here is what I 
expect to do : I will grant the Pope peace provided he cedes 
Bologna, Ferrara, Urbino, and Ancona, and that he pays 
us three millions for the treasure of Loretto and fifteen 
millions that he owed us on the armistice treaty. If he 
doesn't accept, I shall go to Rome. 

16th. (To Josephine.) You are sad; you are ill; you have 
stopped writing; you want to go to Paris. Do you love 
your friend no longer ? This thought makes me wretched. 
Sweet friend, life has become unbearable since hearing 
that you are sad. 

Perhaps I can get a peace with the Pope soon, and be 
back at your side; it is my most ardent wish. 

A hundred kisses. Nothing equals my love save my 
anxiety. 
-V 17th, Tolentino: 

The army is within three days' march of Rome; I am 
negotiating with the gang of priests; doubtless St. Peter 
will once more save the capitol! 

18th. I hear from Venice that Prince Charles has 
reached Trieste, and that the Austrians are everywhere 
in motion. 

19th. (TotheDIrectoire.) Herewith the treaty of peace 
which has just been signed between the French Republic 



58 THE CORSICAN [1797 

and the Pope. I start to-night for Mantua. We shall soon 
be across the Piave. 

March 6th, Mantua: 

(To the Directoire.) When you receive this letter we 
shall be in active operations again. A ten days' armistice 
has been proposed to me, which I have declined. 

The Pope has ratified the treaty of peace concluded at 
Tolcntino. Our situation in Italy appears very satisfac- 
tory. This is not yet the moment for carrying out your 
instructions as to Venice. 

10th, Bassano: 
■ Soldiers of the army of Italy ! The capture of Mantua 
gives you an eternal claim to the gratitude of our country. 
You have been victorious in fourteen pitched battles and 
seventy engagements; you have captured more than 
100,000 prisoners and 2500 guns; you have fed, supplied, 
and paid the army; you have remitted 30 millions to the 
Public Treasury. You have enriched the Museum of 
Paris with three hundred objects, the products of 30 cen- 
turies. 

But your work is not complete. A great destiny is 
yours: the courTtry reposes in you its dearest hopes. Of 
all our foes the Emperor alone still faces us; he has ac- 
cepted the wages of the merchants of London; his policy 
has become that of those perfidious islanders who, im- 
mune from the dangers of war, laugh at the woes of the 
continent. 

The Directoire has made every effort to restore peace 
to Europe. But Vienna has turned a deaf ear. The house 
of Austria, which fur three centuries past has lost in every 
war some portion of its power, will be reduced at the close 



2ET.27] A DIARY 59 

of this sixth campaign to accept the peace it shall please 
us to grant, and will fall to the rank of the lesser powers, 
which it already touched when it accepted the salary of 
England. 

11th. Our advance guard reached Felke yesterday, but 
found no enemy. 

13th, Conegliano: '^ 

We are over the Piave. The enemy is retreating and is 
apparently taking position behind the Tagliamento. 

16th, 11.30 P.M., Valvasone: 

This morning we reached the Tagliamento, and found 
Prince Charles with 16,000 men in line. Serrurier and 
Bernadotte forced their way over. We captured 8 guns, i 

17th. The passage of the Tagliamento is auspicious; 
but the further I advance into Germany, the more troops 
will be accumulated against me. I can't do everything 
with 50,000 men. 

20th, Palmanova: 

We have forced the line of the Isonzo. 

21st, Goritz: 

Write to Boudet to approve placing on the flag of the 
57th demi-brigade: "The terrible 57th demi-brigade, that 

nothing can stop." 

i 

It is easy enough to say to a general, go to Italy, win 
battles, and sign peace at Vienna. But the doing of it is 
not so easy. I have never paid the least attention to the 
plans sent to me by the Directoire. Only fools could take 
stock in such rubbish. As to Berthier, you see what he 
is : he 's an ass ! Well, he it is who does everything, he it is 
who reaps a large share of the glory of the army of Italy ! 



60 THE CORSICAN [1797 

22d. In a week I may reach Klagenfurt, fifteen post- 
houses from Vienna. If the Rhine is not crossed soon, we 
shall be unable to maintain ourselves. 

25th. x\re we over the Rhine yet ? ISIy movement 
has got to be unmasked, and the enemy will at once 
realize the danger. They will withdraw everything from 
the Rhine to concentrate on me. 

28th, Villach: 

The demi-brigades are expressly forbidden to carry 
with them more women than the laundresses the law pro- 
vides for. Every woman found with the army and not 
duly authorized shall be publicly whipped. 

31st, Klagenfurt: 

(To the Archduke Charles.) Brave soldiers wage war, 
but hope for peace. Has not this one now lasted six years ? 
Have we not killed enough people ? Europe, which had 
taken up arms against the French Republic, has laid them 
down. Is there no hope, then, of coming to terms, and 
must we continue to cut each other's throats .'' 

If the overture I have the honour of making can save 
the life of one single individual, I shall be more proud of 
the civic crown I should earn than of the sad glory that 
comes of military success. 

April 1st. I have sent off the letter to Prince Charles. 
Should his reply be favourable, and the Court of Vienna 
be inclined for peace, I shall take it on myself to sign a 
convention. With 20,000 men more, I would have car- 
ried the army through to Vienna almost posthaste. 

3d, Fricsach: 

Prince Charles is drawing in all the troops he can to 
cover Vienna. 



iET.27] A DIARY 61 

Massena and Guieu are pursuing the enemy on the 
Miir. Yesterday we made 600 prisoners, and killed and 
wounded a number of their rear guard, which Prince 
Charles commanded in person. 

4th, Scheifiing: 

Massena's division will advance along the road to 
Leoben, 

5th, Judenburg: 

The enemy appear to be retreating more hastily. Prince 
Charles has sent in a staff officer to ask for a suspension of 
hostilities for four hours, — an absolutely inadmissible 
proposal. 

7th, morning : 

(To Generals Merveldt and Bellegarde.) In the present 
situation of the two armies a suspension of hostilities is 
all against the interests of the French army; but if it is 
intended as a step towards the peace that is so needed by 
both peoples, I readily accede to your wishes. 

6 p. M. : 

Order for General Massena to start with his whole 
division for Leoben, which he is to occupy. 

Midnight : 

An armistice is agreed on until the 13th of April. 

8th, Judenburg: 

(To the Directoire.) You will find herewith the note 
handed me by Generals Merveldt and Bellegarde. I have 
told them that the condition preliminary to a treaty of 
peace is the cession of all territory to the Rhine. They 
asked for an exj)lanation as to Italy, but I declined. We 
are here about 20 leagues from Vienna; the army of Italy 
is therefore isolated and exposed. Our armies have not 
yet crossed the Rhine. 



62 THE CORSICAN [1797 

Everything leads me to think we have reached the 
moment for concluding peace, and we must do so. If, 
contrary to my expectations, the negotiations went off, 
I should be very embarrassed as to what to do next. 

9 th. All goes well. 

(To the Most Serene Doge of Venice.) All the Venetian 
mainland is in arms. The watchword of the peasants you 
have armed is: "Death to the French!" Is it your belief 
that because I am in the centre of Germany I am unable 
to compel due respect for the greatest Power in the world ? 
Do you think the legions of Italy will quietly submit to 
the massacres you have stirred up ? The blood of my 
comrades shall be avenged. I send you this letter by my 
first aide-de-camp. War or peace! We are not living in 
the days of Charles VIII! 

(This) letter is for Junot to take to Venice, and to get 
answered within 24 hours. It would be dangerous to give 
time for the Venetian troops to assemble. 

16th, Leoben: 

(To the Directoire.) I am sending you by Adjutant-Gen- 
eral Leclerc this dispatch on the negotiations. Pray send 
him back at once. All the officers I send to Paris stay 
there too long; they spend their money, and kill them- 
selves with fast living. 

General Merveldt and Count di Gallo are great sticklers 
for etiquette; they always w\ant to put the Emperor be- 
fore the Republic; I have declined flatly. 

We have reached the matter of recognition. I told 
them the Repti])lic- did not want to be recognised; it is in 
Europe what the sun is on the horizon; those who can't 
see it nmst take their chances. 



^T.27] A DIARY 63 

On the 15th M. di Gallo came to see me at eight in the 
morning : he said he desired to have some spot neutrahzed 
so that we could continue our negotiations in correct 
form. We selected a garden with a summer-house in the 
middle; we have declared the place neutral, a farce which 
I took part in to soothe the childish vanity of these peo- 
ple. This so-called neutral spot is in the midst of the 
bivouacs of our divisions. 

When one wants to open a campaign there is nothing 
can stand as an obstacle, and a river has never been a 
real obstacle. If Moreau wants to cross the Rhine, he 
will cross; if he had already crossed it, we could dictate 
our conditions of peace imperiously; but the man who 
fears for his reputation is certain to lose it. I have crossed 
the Julian Alps over three feet of ice; I have carried my 
artillery through places where never a cart has passed. 
Had I thought only of the repose of my army and my 
private interests, I should have stopped on the banks of 
the Isonzo; I threw myself into Germany to disengage the 
army of the Rhine. I am at the gates of Vienna, and its 
haughty court has sent its plenipotentiaries to my head- 
quarters. 

18th, Castle of Eggenwald: 

His Majesty the Emperor and the Directoire have con- 
cluded peace preliminaries. 

19th. (To the Directoire.) I expect to send you within 
three days, by General Massena, the Emperor's ratifica- 
tion. I shall quarter the army in Venetia. As for myself, 
I ask for rest. I have justified the trust you confided 
in me. I have accounted myself as nothing in all I have 
done; and now I have thrown myself on Vienna, hav- 



64 THE CORSICAN [1797 

ing won more glory than should make me happy, and 
with the splendid plains of Italy behind me; just as I be- 
gan the previous campaign by seeking bread for an army 
which the Republic could no longer feed. I insist, there- 
fore, that together with the ratification of the peace pre- 
liminaries you should send me leave to return to France. 

30th, Trieste: 

The conduct of the Venetians gets each day worse and 
worse; we are really in a state of w^ar. The Senate has 
sent me a deputation; I treated it as it deserved. I told 
them to drive out the English minister; to hand us twenty 
millions, and all merchandise belonging to the English. 

May 3d, Palmanova: 

I can see no other course than to obliterate the Vene- 
tian name from the earth. 

13th, Milan: 

Order to General Baraguay d'Hilliers to enter Venice 
and seize all military positions. 

14th. I have just received from the Directoire the rati- 
fication of the peace preliminaries. 

The citizens of Venice are under the protection of the 
French Republic. 

I am organizing the Cisalpine Republic; I have four 
committees working hard at framing the Constitution. 

(To the national guards of the Cisalpine Republic.) 
Yours is the task, brave comrades, of consolidating the 
liberty of your country. 

It is the soldier who founds republics, it is the soldier 
who maintains them. ^Vilh()ut armies, without force, 
without discipline, neither iH)Hlic'al independence nor 
civil liberty can exist. 



^T.27] A DIARY 65 

15th. Heavens! how scarce men are! There are in 
Italy 18 milHons of men, and I can barely find two, Dan- 
dolo and Melzi! 

20th, Mombello: 

General Baraguay d'Hilliers has occupied Venice. 

June 30th. (To the Directoire.) I have this moment 
received (a copy of) Dumolard's resolution. This motion, 
which the Assembly has ordered to be printed, is directed 
against me. I had a right, after concluding five treaties of 
peace, and after dealing the last blow to the Coalition, to 
expect, if not a civic triumph, yet at least to be left in 
peace; but I see myself denounced, persecuted, hounded 
down by every means, I whose reputation is part of that 
of my country! 

After having earned a decree that I had deserved well 
of my country, I should not have been subjected to such 
absurd and atrocious accusations. I repeat the demand I 
have already made to retire. I want to live in peace, if 
the daggers of Clichy spare me. 

I understand why Bonaparte is accused; it's for con- 
cluding peace. But I warn you, I speak in the name of 
80,000 men; the time when cowardly lawyers and low 
chatterers could send soldiers to the guillotine has 
passed, and if you drive them to it, the soldiers of Italy 
will march to the Clichy gate with their general: but, if 
they do, look out for yourselves ! 

The general-in-chief appoints citoyen Eugene Beau- 
harnais supernumerary sub-lieutenant in the 1st hussars, 
and his aide-de-camp. This young and talented citizen is 



66 THE CORSICAN [1797 

the son of General Bcauharnais, whose loss will long be 
mourned by his country. 

July 4th. I am receiving so many letters from all parts 
of the Republic that I cannot answer them all. The esteem 
of his fellow citizens is the only worthj"^ reward for the ser- 
vices rendered by a soldier to his country. 

14th, Milan: 

Soldiers! I know that you feel deeply the misfortunes 
that threaten our country; but it will not run any real 
danger. Mountains lie between us and France; you 
would surmount them as rapidly as the eagle, to main- 
tain the Constitution, to defend liberty, to protect the 
government and all republicans. 

Soldiers, dismiss all uneasiness, and let us swear on our 
new standards: Eternal war on the enemies of the Repub- 
lic and of the Constitution! 

17th. The Emperor is trying to gain time. What is his 
motive ? It is difficult to imagine, unless it lies in the 
direction of the Clichy Club, and the return of the royal- 
ists. What is the use of our constant victories ? The 
blood we have shed for the country is made useless by 
internal factions. 

23d. Without question the Court of Vienna hopes 
everything from time, and expects to make a useful 
diversion in favour of England. 

27th. (To the Directoire.) General Augereau has asked 
leave to proceed to Paris, where he has business to attend 
to. He will inform you verbally of the absolute devo- 
tion of the soldiers of Italy to the Constitution and to 
the Directoire. 

28th. The tone of the notes handed to the French 



iET.28] A DIARY 67 

plenipotentiaries, the protests, the extraordinary demands 
they contain, the movements of Austrian troops, every- 
thing, in a word, points to war. 

29th. There is much dissension between the Council of 
Five Hundred and the Directoire. 

It appears that Hoche is about to embark for Ire- 
land. 

August 1st. The agitation in Paris continues; the gen- 
tlemen are divided among themselves. The army of 
Sambre et Meuse has declared itself vigorously. General 
Desaix is here; he assures me that the army of the Rhine 
is at one with the army of Italy. General Serrurier has 
just arrived; he is indignant at the royalist agitation. 

16th. The Emperor is apparently concentrating all his 
forces on Italy. The large number of recruits, together 
with the prisoners we have sent back, will enable him to 
place a formidable army in line against me. 

The time is fast coming when we shall realize that 
really to destroy England we must seize Egypt. 

General Augereau has been appointed to command the 
17th (Paris) military division. 

28th. (To citoyenne Marie Dauranne, laundress of 
the 51st of the line.) Worthy citoyenne: The general- 
in-chief, in making public your civic and courageous 
deed at the crossing of the Piave, in saving at the risk 
of your own life one of our brave companions in arms, has 
awarded you a civic crown. You will find engraved on it 
the record of a deed that honours not you only but your 
sex; you may add to it your own name, and that of the 



68 THE CORSICAN [1797 

brave man whose life you saved, but whose name we do 
not know. 

September 4th. Revolution of Frudidor; Barras and 
Augereau. 

Gth. (To the Minister of Foreign Affairs.) It would 
be impossible to carry on so weighty a discussion with 
more timid negotiators, worse logicians, or men less in- 
fluential with their own court. When they have said: 
Those are our instructions, — they have done their utmost. 
I said to them: If your instructions stated that it is 
now actually night-time, would you ask us to accept it ? — 
Yesterday they proposed that we should give them 
Romagna, Mantua, and the Venetian state. I asked them 
how many miles from Paris their army was, and I got 
vigorously angry at the impertinence of such proposals. 

In private conversation I told them that I would give 
them my opinion confidentially, — to them, because they 
knew better than outsiders that I was not given to gas- 
conading, — and that it was that two weeks after the 
campaign opened I should be very close to Vienna. 

7th. The army is warned to be ready to move on 
the 24th. 

8th. The plenipotentiaries continue willing nilling, say- 
ing unsaying, — somewhat disconcerted by my measures. 
I have moved Dumas' cavalry forward. 

12th. (To the Directoire.) Herewith you will find 
my proclamation to the army announcing the events of 
the 18th of Fructidor. You may reckon that Iuto arc 
100,000 men who can by thtMr own effort safeguard tlie 
measures you have taken to place liberty on solid founda- 
tions. 



^T.28] A DIARY 69 

13th. Why not seize the island of Malta? If, when 
we conclude peace with England, we have to give up the 
Cape of Good Hope, we should take Egypt. 

16th. (To the sailors of Admiral Bruey's fleet.) Com- 
rades: As soon as we have pacified the continent, we 
will join you in conquering the liberty of the seas. We 
will recall the horrid spectacle of Toulon in ashes, and 
victory will attend our efforts. Without you we could 
only carry the glory of the French name to a small part 
of the continent; with you, we will cross the seas and our 
national glory shall be witnessed by the most distant 
shores. 

19th. Notwithstanding our pride, our thousand and 
one pamphlets, our endless speechifyings, we are very 
ignorant in political and social science. We have not yet 
defined what we mean by the executive, legislative, and 
judicial powers. Montesquieu's definitions are false. 

In fifty years I can see but one thing that we have 
defined clearly, which is the sovereignty of the people; but 
we have done no more towards settling what is constitu- 
tional than we have in the distribution of powers. The 
organization of the French nation is, therefore, still in- 
complete. 

This legislature, without eyes or ears for what surrounds 
it, should no longer overwhelm us with a thousand laws 
passed on the spur of the moment, that negative one ab- 
surdity by another, and that leave us, with three hundred 
folios of laws, a lawless nation. 

Here, I think, is a political creed which our present cir- 
cumstances render excusable. What a misfortune for a 
nation of SO millions of people, and in the eighteenth cen- 



70 THE CORSICAN [1797 

tury, to be driven to the support of bayonets to save the 
country ! 

25th. (To the Directoire.) An oflficer arrived from Paris 
day before yesterday; he has let it be known that he 
left Paris the 12th, and that there was anxiety there as 
to how I would take the event of the 18th of Fructidor; 
he was armed with a sort of circular to all the divisional 
generals of the army. 

From this it clearly appears that the Government is 
acting towards me very much as it acted towards Piche- 
gru after Vendemiaire. I ask you, Citoyens Diredevrs, to 
replace me and to accept my resignation. No power on 
earth can make me continue to serve the Government 
after this horrible display of ingratitude, which I was en- 
titled not to expect. 

I am also in need of tuning my mind once more to 
the opinion of the public. I have too long wielded excep- 
tional power. I have always used it for the good of the 
country, despite what those may think who doubt my 
rectitude. My reward must lie in my own conscience and 
the opinion of posterity. Now that the country is paci- 
fied and freed from danger, I can leave the post confided 
to me without any ill effects. 

Great events hang by a thread. The able man turns 
everything to profit, neglects nothing that may give him 
one chance more; the man of less ability, by overlooking 
just one thing, spoils the whole. 

October 1st. After dinner I had a private conversation 
with Count Cobcnzl. lie said that the Emperor nii.uht 
give us the Rhine, if we made great concessions in Italy; 



iET. 28] A DIARY 71 

his proposals were absurd. My health is ruined, and 
nothing can replace good health, which is essential to 
carrying on war. I can barely get into the saddle, and 
need two years' rest. 

6th. The negotiations are at a standstill; the Austrians 
ask for too much. In twelve days we shall be in the field. 

10th. At last the peace negotiations look like coming 
to a head. To-night peace will be signed, or the negotia- 
tions will be broken off. 

Then a war with England will open for us a wider, more 
essential, more splendid field of opportunity. The Eng- 
lish nation is worthier than the Venetian, and its libera- 
tion will forever consolidate the liberty and the happi- 
ness of France; or if we can compel the government to 
make peace, the advantages which we shall secure for our 
commerce all over the world will mark a great step in the 
consolidation of liberty and national prosperity. As for 
me, there is nothing left but to return from whence I 
came, to take up the plough of Cincinnatus, and to set 
the example of obedience to the laws and of aversion from 
military rule, which has destroyed so many republics. 

16th, Campo Formio: 

Count Cobenzl and I met for our concluding session in 
a room where, according to Austrian custom, a dais had 
been installed with a chair of state representing that of 
the Austrian Emperor. On entering I asked what this 
meant, and (on being told), I said to the Austrian minis- 
ter: Come, before we begin, you had better have that 
chair taken away, because I have never yet seen a chair 
set higher than others without immediately wanting to 
get into it. 



72 THE CORSICAN [1797 

Count Cobenzl, is that your ultimatum ? Before three 
months are over I shall have smashed your monarchy, as 
I now smash this tray of glasses. — I break off negotia- 
tions. 

18th, Passariano: 

Peace was signed one hour after midnight at Campo 
Formio. I am quite sure there will be much criticism and 
carping. 

November 2d. The army of England is already formed. 

5th. General Hoche had some good maps of England, 
which might be got from his heirs. 

9th. About half the troops will pass through Milan on 
the 11th of December on their way to France to form the 
nucleus of the army of England. 

Order for Generals Massena, Bernadotte, Brune, 
Joubert, Victor, Rampon, Gardanne, Belliard, Lannes, 
to be ready to start to take up commands in the army of 
England. 

13th. I am off to-morrow for Rastadt, to exchange 
ratifications, to execute the clauses of the treaty, and to 
take part in the Congress of the Empire. 

My wife expects to start on a trip to Rome in two or 
three days. 

26th, Rastadt: 

(To the Directoire.) As you perceive, I have travelled at 
breakneck speed, and I am not a little surprised to find 
that the Emperor's booby plenipotentiaries are not here 
yet, except General Mervcldt. General Berthier has 
handed me the treaty of peace, which this time, I am sure, 
will please the plenipotentiaries of the Emperor, for it is 
all splendour and gilt edges! 



^.T. 28] A DIARY 73 

30th. To-morrow we complete everything relating to 
the secret clauses; in which case I shall start that very 
night. 

December 26th, Paris: 

(To the President of the National Institute.) I am hon- 
oured by the vote of the distinguished members of your 
society. I am only too conscious that before becoming 
their equal I must long remain their pupil. Were there 
any stronger way of expressing the esteem in which I hold 
them, I would use it. 

The real conquests, those that leave no regrets behind, 
are those made over ignorance. The most honourable 
occupation, that which is most useful to nations, is to help 
on the diffusion of humane ideas. Henceforth the real 
strength of the French Republic must consist in not fail- 
ing to make every new idea her own. 

31st. On my return from Italy I took up my abode in 
a little house. Rue Chantereine. The Municipality of Paris 
ordered its name changed to Rue de la Victoire. 



1798 

January 1st, Paris: 

Paris has a short memory. If I remain longer doing 
nothing, I am lost. In this great Babylon one reputation 
quickly succeeds another. After I have been seen three 
times at the theatre, I shall not be looked at again ; I shall 
therefore not go very frequently. 

9th. I have laid a number of proposals before the Direc- 
toire relating to the composition of the army of England. 

11th. All goes -well. We are working hard at the reor- 
ganization of our navy, and at the formation of the 
army of England. Kleber, Desaix, Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 
Lefebvre, Championnet, are to be of the army. Joubert 
has gone to Holland. 

29th. I will not remain here; there is nothing to be 
done. They will listen to nothing. I realize that if I 
stay my- reputation will soon be gone. All things fade 
here, and my reputation is almost forgotten; this little 
Europe affords too slight a scope; I must go to the Orient; 
all great reputations have been won there. If the success 
of an expedition to England should prove doubtful, as I 
fear, the army of England will become the army of the 
East, and I shall go to Egypt. 

The Orient awaits a man! 

February 7th. I leave to-morrow to inspect the Atlantic 
coast. I shall be back in twelve days. 

12th, Dunkirk: 

It is said that the Dutch have numbers of fast-sail- 



^T.28] A DIARY 75 

ing flatboats; we must obtain from 150 to 250, with as 
many gunboats as possible. We must then get these 
vessels to Dunkirk at once, so as to be able to leave 
that port a month hence, with 50,000 men, artillery, sup- 
plies, etc. 

23d, Paris: 

Whatever we do, we cannot command the sea for sev- 
eral years to come. To effect a landing in England with- 
out controlling the sea is the boldest and most difficult 
military operation ever attempted. It would seem, then, 
that the expedition to England is not feasible. We must 
therefore merely keep up the pretence of it, and concen- 
trate our attention and our resources on the Rhine, or 
else undertake an expedition to the Levant so as to 
threaten the trade with India. And if none of these oper- 
ations is feasible, I can see no other course than to make 
peace with England. 

March 26th. (To the Minister of the Interior.) Please 
give positive orders that all the Arabic type we have 
be packed immediately, and that citoyen Langles take 
charge of it. I also beg you to give orders that the Greek 
type be packed; I know we have some, as Xenophon is 
being printed; and it won't matter so very much if Xeno- 
phon is held up for three months. 

30th. I have just heard from Admiral Brueys; he left 
Corfu on the 25th of February with six French and 
five Venetian men of war. I hope these ships can start 
again two weeks after their arrival. 

April 5th. (To Monge.) We shall take one third of the 
Institute and many scientific instruments with us. I place 
the Arabic printing-press under your special care. 



76 THE CORSICAN [1798 

14th. I would like to take with me citoyen Piveron, 
who was for many years the king's agent at the court 
of Tippoo Sahib. We could try to get him through to 
India. 

17th. (To Vice-Admiral Brueys.) I expect to join you 
during the first week of Floreal. Have a good bed for me, 
as I expect to be sick during the whole journey. Get 
good supplies. 

18th. (To Eugene Beauharnais.) You will start at 
four o'clock on the 3d of Floreal. You should reach 
Lyons on the 4th before noon. Travel in mufti, and don't 
let it be known that you are my aide-de-camp. You will 
give out everywhere that I am going to Brest. 

(To General Kleber.) Orders for General Kleber and his 
staff to proceed at once to Toulon, where he will receive 
further instructions. 

28th. Bonaparte, member of the National Institute, 
general-in-chief of the army of England, 

orders General Regnier to embark the men of his divi- 
sion at Marseilles on the 6th of May on the transports 
that will be there ready for him. 

May 10th, Toulon: 

Soldiers of the army of the Mediterranean! 

You are a wing of the army of England! You have 
fought among mountains, in plains, before fortresses; but 
you had yet to carry out a naval campaign. The Roman 
legions that you have sometimes rivalled, but never 
equalled, fought Carthage on this very sea and on the 
plains of Zania. Victory never forsook tlioni. 

Soldiers! Europe is watching you! 

11th. (To Admiral Brueys.) As the fleet is made up of 



iET.28] A DIARY 77 

15 of the line, 12 frigates, and over 200 transports, you 
are to assume the rank and ifly the flag of Admiral. 

17th, on board the Orient: 

We have been riding at anchor these last three days 
ready to start, but a strong wind continues to blow from 
the wrong quarter. 

19th, 7 A.M.: 

The frigates are at sea; the convoy is standing out; we 
are weighing anchor; the weather is lovely. 

23d, between Corsica and Elba: 

English ships have been reported cruising off Sicily. I 
cannot believe they are in sufl&cient force to interfere with 
our plans. 

27th. We have been becalmed these two days, ten 
leagues from the strait of Bonifacio. Our dispatch boat, 
Le Corcyre, chased an English brig, which was run on to 
the Sardinian coast and burnt. The crew of this brig 
speak of an English fleet. 

28th, 8pm.: 

We are carrying full sail and heading for our goal. ' 

June 13th, Malta: 

(To the Directoire.) At dawn on the 10th we sighted the 
island of Gozzo. At night I sent one of my aides-de-camp 
to ask for the Grand Master's leave to water in the bays 
of the island. Our consul at Malta brought me his an- 
swer, which was a flat refusal. The need of the army was 
pressing, and placed the duty on me of employing force. 
General Lannes and chef de brigade Marmont landed 
within cannon-shot of the works. At daybreak our troops 
had landed at all points, notwithstanding a brisk but ill- 
directed cannonade. On the 12th I began sending guns 



78 THE CORSICAN [1798 

ashore. We have few fortresses in Europe so strong and 
scientifically planned as Malta. The Grand Master asked 
for a suspension of hostilities on the morning of the 12th. 
At midnight his representatives came aboard the Orient 
and concluded the convention, which I inclose you here- 
with. 

16th, on board the Orient : 

The fleet is working out of the harbour, and we expect 
to be on our way once more on the 19th. 

22d, at sea: 

(Proclamation to the army.) Soldiers! You are about 
to attempt a conquest, the effect of which will be incal- 
culable on civilization and the commerce of the world! 
You are about to deal England the most certain and 
telling bloW' she can suffer, until the time comes when 
you can strike her death-stroke. Not many days after 
our arrival, the Mameluk beys, who have exclusively 
favoured English commerce, who have injured our mer- 
chants and tyrannized over the wretched inhabitants of 
the Nile, will have ceased to exist. 

The people among whom we are going are Mahometans; 
the chief article of their creed is: God is God, and Ma- 
homet is his prophet. Do not contradict them; deal with 
them as we have dealt with the Jews, with the Italians; 
show respect for their muftis and their imams, as you 
have for rabbis and bishops. The legions of Rome pro- 
tected all religions. You will meet with customs dilTcrent 
from those of Europe; you must learn to accept thorn. 

The first city we shall see was built by Alexander. Our 
every step will evoke memories of the past worthy of the 
euiulalion of Frenchmen. 



iET.28] A DIARY 79 

30th. (To the Pasha of Egypt.) The Directoire of the 
French RepubHc has on several occasions requested the 
Subhrae Porte to punish the beys of Egypt for the dam- 
age which they have caused to French merchants. 

The French RepubHc has decided to send a powerful 
army to put a stop to the piracy of the beys of Egypt. 
You, who should be the master of the beys, but whom 
they hold powerless and without authority at Cairo, 
should greet my arrival with joy. Come and meet me, 
therefore, and join me in cursing the unholy race of the 
beys. 

July 1st, off Alexandria: 

The expedition was off Alexandria at dawn. An English 
fleet, described as very strong, was here three days ago, 
and left a packet for transmission to India. 

Admiral, we have not one moment to lose. Fortune has 
given me three days; if I don't profit by it we are lost. 

To-morrow I must be in Alexandria. 

The wind was very strong and the sea very rough; I 
decided, however, to land at once. We spent the day in 
preparations. 

The coast near Alexandria, 11 p. m. .- 

I disembarked with General Kleber and a part of the 
troops at 11 p. M. We immediately began our march on 
Alexandria. 

July 2d. At daybreak we caught sight of Pompey's 
column. The walls of the Arab city were lined with men. 
, General Kleber picked out the point of the wall at 



80 THE CORSICAN [1798 

which his grenadiers were to scale it, but received a shot 
in the head that stretched him senseless. The grenadiers 
of his division, spurred by this event, fought their way 
into the town. 

The old harbour of Alexandria can shelter a fleet, how- 
ever large; but there is a place in the channel where there 
is no more than 15 feet of water, which makes the sailors 
doubt whether the 74's can get in. This affects my plans 
very seriously. 

(Proclamation.) Bonaparte, member of the National 
Institute, general-in-chief, — 
v People of Egj^pt: You will be told that I have come to 
^ destroy your faith; believe it not! Answer that I am here 
to maintain your rights, to punish usurpers, and that I 
respect even more than do the Mameluks, God, his 
Prophet, and the Koran! 

Tell them that in the eyes of God all men are equal; 
wisdom, talent, and virtue alone make the inequality of 
mankind. And what wisdom, what talent, what virtue, 
distinguish the Mameluks and entitle them to the exclu- 
sive enjoyment of all that makes life lovely and pleas- 
ant ? 

To whom belong the great estates ? To the Mameluks. 
To whom belong lovely slaves, splendid horses, fine houses? 
To the Mameluks. If Egypt, then, is tlieir farm, let Ihom 
display the lease that God has granted them. But (iod is 
just and merciful unto his people. All Egyptians will be 
called on to fill public stations; the most wise, the most 
virtuous, the best educated, will govern the country, and 
the jK'ople will be happy. 



^T. 28] A DIARY 81 ' 

Is it not we who destroyed the Pope who urged war 
against all Mussulmans ? Is it not we who destroyed the 
Knights of Malta because they foolishly believed that 
God had bidden them wage war against all Mussulmans ? 
Is it not we who in centuries past have befriended 
the Grand Seignior, — may God fulfil his wishes, — and 
been the enemy of his enemies ? Have not the Mameluks, 
on the contrary, always revolted against the authority of 
the Grand Seignior, which they still refuse to recognise ? 
They act merely at their own pleasure. 

Let those who arm on behalf of the Mameluks and fight 
against us beware, and three times beware! For them 
there is no hope: they will perish! 

It is a bit quackish! 

3d, Alexandria: 

(To General Desaix.) You will probably not meet more 
than a few squadrons of cavalry; mask your cavalry; 
don't use your fieldpieces. Save them for the day when 
we shall have to fight four or five thousand horse. 

(To Admiral Brueys.) The general-in-chief feels certain 
that you have already had the channel sounded. He 
wants the fleet to be brought into port. It is essential that 
the fleet should be sheltered from the superior forces that 
the English may have in these seas. The Admiral is to 
notify the general-in-chief to-morrow whether the fleet 
could defend itself against a superior force of the enemy - 
if it were anchored across the bay of Aboukir. 
} 10th, El Ramanyeh: 

Desaix had a skirmish with about a thousand mounted 
Mameluks this morning. The country is splendid. 



82 THE CORSICAN [1798 

12th. The goncral-in-chiof's intention is to attack the 
enemy reported in Chobrakyt at daybreak. 

15th, Chabour: 

We met and defeated the enemy yesterday. Murad 
Bey with 3000 or 4000 mounted Mamehiks, twenty guns, 
and a few gunboats attempted to hold the crossing at 
Chobrakyt. The army was drawn up with each division 
in battahon squares, baggage in the centre, the guns in 
the battahon intervals. 

21st, The Pyramids: 

At dawn we met their advance guard, which we drove 
back from village to village. At two in the afternoon we 
discovered the intrenchments and the enemy's army. 

Soldiers! Forty centuries behold you! 

The instant Murad Bey perceived Desaix' movement 
he decided to attack. One of his bravest bej's at the head 
of a picked body of cavalry charged down like lightning on 
our two divisions. We let them come to within fifty paces, 
and mowed them down with a hail of bullets and grape 
that stretched great numbers on the battlefield. They 
pushed right into the intervals between the two divisions, 
where they were caught by a crossfire that completed 
their defeat. 

Our columns of attack, under the command of brave 
General Rampon, rushed on the intrenchments, in the 
face of a heavy artillery fire, with their usual dash, when 
the Mamehiks (again) charged them. They came out of 
the earthworks at full gallop; our columns had just time to 
halt, face outwards, and receive them with their bayonets 
and a storm of bullets. In a flash the field was covered 
with their bodies. Our troops soon carried the intrench- 
ments. 



^T.28] A DIARY 83 

22d, Gyzeh: 

(To the Sheiks and Notables of Cairo.) You will judge 
of my sentiments by the proclamation which I inclose. 
Yesterday the Mameluks were for the most part killed 
or made prisoners, and I am in pursuit of the few who 
survive. Send over to this bank what boats you have, 
and a deputation to announce your submission. Have 
bread, meat, straw, and forage collected for my army, and 
be without uneasiness, for no one could wish you better 
than I. 

26th, Cairo: 

No news from France since our departure. 

(To Joseph.) Be kind to my wife. Go and see her oc- 
casionally. I am asking Louis to give her good advice. 
I wish Desiree all happiness if she marries Bernadotte. 
She deserves it. I embrace your wife and Lucien. I am 
sending a handsome shawl to Julie. Don't be quite so 
unfaithful to her; she is an excellent woman; make her 
happy. 

28th. Perree should be sent out with three frigates, 
having on board: a company of actors; a corps de bal- 
let; three or four marionette showmen for the people; 
a hundred or so French women; the wives of all who 
are employed here; 20 surgeons, 30 chemists, 10 physi- 
cians. 

I will colonize this country. I am twenty-nine now, 
and shall then be thirty -five; that's nothing; six years 
gives me long enough, if all goes well, to reach India. 

■31st. Severity is needed to govern the Turks; I order 
five or six heads to be sliced off every day in the streets 
of Cairo. Up till now we have had to behave mildly so as 



84 THE CORSICAN [1798 

to counteract the reputation of terror that preceded us; 
at present it is, on the contrary, better to assume the 
tone that commands obedience with these people, for 
with them obedience signifies fear. 

August 1st. Bailie of the Nile ; Nelson and Brueys. 

Adjutant-General Bribes is to occupy Damanhour. He 
will disarm the city, and will have the heads of five of the 
chief inhabitants cut off; one chosen from the lawyers 
who have behaved worst, and the four others from the 
most influential people. He is specially enjoined to see 
to the clearing of the canal to Alexandria that begins at 
El Ramanyeh so that the Nile may enter it. 

15th. (To Rear-Admiral Ganteaume.) The account 
of what you have been through is truly horrible. If you 
have come out alive, it is clearly that you are destined 
by fate to avenge our navy and our friends; on this I con- 
gratulate you. This is the only cheering thought that has 
occurred to me since I received your report day before 
yesterday, thirty leagues from Cairo. You are to assume 
command of all that is left of our naval forces in Egypt. 
You will do your utmost to withdraw from the Bay of 
Aboukir anything we may have left there. I imagine that 
by this time the English have moved their shattered 
ships away. 

(To General Kleber.) I have just received the news of 
the battle of tlie 1st. I promptly returned to Cairo. Things 
are not quite settled yet in these parts; but every day 
there is a perceptible improvement, and I am justified in 
thinking that very soon we shall be really masters of the 
country. Our cntcri)rise demands more than one sort of 
courage. 



MT.29] A DIARY 85 

19th. (To the Directoire.) Fate has ordained, in this 
event as in so many others, that if we are given a great 
preponderance on the continent, to our rivals is given 
the dominion of the seas. However great our defeat, it 
is not attributable to the inconstancy of Fortune, for she 
has not yet abandoned us; far from it, she has favoured 
us more than ever before in our present undertaking. 

Collect all our ships from Toulon, Malta, Ancona, Corfu, 
Alexandria, to form a new fleet. 

Had I been master of the sea, I would have been lord 
of the Orient. 

22d, Cairo: 

There shall be an Institute for Science and Art in 
Egypt, established in Cairo: 

The chief object of this Society shall be, to develop and 
encourage learning in Egypt. All general officers of the 
French army shall be entitled to attend its sessions. The 
proceedings of the Society shall be printed. 

23d. The Egyptian Institute held its first session on 
the 6th of Fructidor; citoyen Bonaparte propounded the 
following questions: 

Can the ovens used for baking army bread be improved 
in regard to expense or fuel, and if so, how ? 

Does Egypt afford any substitute for hops in the brew- 
ing of beer ? 

How can Nile water best be filtered and sweetened ? 

What means are there in Egypt for manufacturing 
gunpowder ? 

How is Egypt situated in the matter of jurisprudence, 
of civil and criminal judges, of education ? 



86 THE CORSICAN [i798 

What improvements, approved of by the people, can be 
introduced in these matters ? 

(To General Menou.) Don't put the sailors forvtard. 
Try to inspirit them and to dispel their belief in the su- 
periority of the English. 

September 8th. (To the Directoire.) I await news from 
Constantinople. I cannot be back in Paris, as I had pro- 
mised, in October; but it is only a matter of a few months. 
Everything here is going well. The country is quiet and 
getting used to us. For the rest, let time work. Since our 
departure I have not heard one word from j'ou, nor from 
the ministers, nor from a single person who is related to 
me. My dispatches have, I expect, been more fortunate 
than yours. 

October 4th. No news from Europe. 

(To General Kleber.) I regret to hear j'ou are not well. 
Desaix has reached Syout. He drove the Mameluks into 
the desert, and part of them have reached the oases. 
Ibrahim Bey is at Gaza, and threatens invasion; it will not 
come to anything; but we, who are not threatening any- 
body, might very well dislodge him from where he is. 

Believe me when I say that I hope for your speedy cure, 
and that I rate high your good-will and your friendship. 
I fear that we have had a little misunderstanding; you 
would be doing me an injustice if you doubted that this 
gives me nnich concern. In the land of Egj^pt, clouds, 
when we have any, pass away in six hours; if there should 
seem to be any between us, tlu\v will pass in throe. I\Iy 
high regard for you is at least equal to that which you 
have on occasion manifested for me. 

(To the French Commissioners to the Divan.) The ob- 



MT.29] A DIARY 87 

ject for which the Divan has been convened is tentative, 
the intention being to accustom the notables of Egypt 
to the idea of assembUes and legislation. You must tell 
them that I have convened them to obtain their advice, 
and to ascertain what can be done for the benefit of the 
people, and what they themselves would do had they the 
power which conquest has given us. 

7th. (To the Directoire.) The Porte has appointed 
Djezzar pasha of Acre and general-in chief of all Syria. 
He has taken no notice of the overtures I have made. 
Our consuls have been arrested everywhere, and the 
Ottoman Empire is full of martial sounds. You will not 
abandon your army in Egypt; you will send us help and 
news; and you will do all that I have urged to place a 
large fleet in this sea. When I know for certain what the 
Porte intends, when the country is more settled and our 
fortifications are completed, which will be before long, 
I may decide to return to Europe; especially if news 
reaches me that the continent is not at peace. 

16th. (To General Manscourt.) Pray forward me the 
report that mentions the rumour of an insurrection in the 
garrison. If a demi-brigade under my orders mutinies, I 
will disband it, and I will have every officer who fails to 
maintain discipline shot. 

18th. Not the least bit of news from France. Bour- 
rienne! what am I thinking of ? 

(Bourrienne : In truth that 's rather difficult, you think 
of so many things!) 

I don't know whether I shall ever see France again, but 
if I do, my sole ambition is to fight one great campaign in 
Germany, in the plains of Bavaria, to win a great victory. 



88 THE CORSICAN [1798 

and to avenge France for her defeat at Blenliciin. After 
that I will retire to the country and live quietly. 

21st. The Turkish army is concentrating at Damascus, 
and, it is reported, will amount to 00,000 men. 

22d. (To General Bon.) It is essential for us to attack 
the insurgent quarters. Bombard the mosque. All armed 
men caught in the streets are to be killed at sight. 

23d. Order for levelling the grand mosque in the 
course of the night by breaking down some of the pillars 
if possible. 

(To General Berthier.) Please order the commandant 
of the town to have the heads of all prisoners caught in 
arms cut off. They are to be taken to-night to the bank 
of the Nile between Boul^q and old Cairo; the bodies can 
be thrown into the river. |j;^ 

(To Louis Bonaparte.) I inclose you an order for the 
commandant at Alexandria to send you off on a brig, the 
Vif or the Indcpendant. 

We have been busy these last two daj's appeasing a 
revolt in Cairo. I was compelled to throw shells into 
a quarter which the insurgents had barricaded. About a 
thousand Turks have been killed. To-day everything is 
calm and orderly again. Good-bye, good health; a pros- 
perous journey. 

November 20th. (To General Desaix.) We have got 
French and English gazettes to the 10th of August; up 
till then there was no new dcAelopnicnt in Europe; I am 
sending them on. 

December lOlh. (To General Donunartin.) The gen- 
eral-in-ehief acknowledges receipt of the request of chef 
de brigade Grobert to return to France. The general-in- 



^T. 29] A DIARY 89 

chief's reply is that in view of the fact that citoyen Grobert 
got his step as chef de brigade in Paris, and without even 
having heard a shot fired, his intention is that you should 
keep this officer continuously on outpost duty. 

21st. (Order.) At noon each day the regimental bands 
shall play in the public square, opposite the hospital, 
pieces of music that will cheer the patients and recall 
the great events of former campaigns. 

23d. I leave to-morrow. 

29th, Suez: 

Order for the commanding olBScers of engineers and artil- 
lery to accompany the general-in-chief on a survey of the 
Suez Canal. 



1799 

January 2d, Belbeys: 

I am working to determine the line along which a water- 
way can be run to join the Nile and the Red Sea. This 
waterway once existed, for I have found traces of it at 
several points. 

8th, Cairo: 

(Order.) Citoyen Boj^er, surgeon, who has been so 
cowardly as to refuse help to some wounded because 
they were supposed to be infected, is unworthy of being 
a French citizen. He is to be dressed in women's clothes, 
and paraded through the streets of Alexandria on a 
donkey, with a board on his back, on which shall be 
written: Unworthy of being a French citizen — he fears 
death. After which he is to be placed in i)rison, and sent 
back to France by the first ship. 

25th. (To Tippoo Sahib.) You have already learned 
of my arrival on the shores of the Red Sea with an in- 
numerable and invincible army, anxious to free you from 
the iron yoke of England. 

I take the first opportunity of letting you know that I 
am anxious that you should send me information through 
Moka and Muscat as to your political situation. I hope 
you can send to Suez or to Cairo, some able and trust- 
worthy person with whom I can discuss matters. 

28th. (To Cicnoral Marmont.) I can't understand 
Commissary Michaud's obstinacy in remaining in a 
house when the plague is in it; why doesn't he go into 



^T. 29] A DIARY 91 

camp out towards Pompey's column? Put the 75th in the 
grove where you camped so long with the 4th light in- 
fantry; it can be ba^rracked there, and all communication 
with Alexandria cut off. As to the unlucky demi-brigade 
of light infantry, have the men strip and take sea-baths; 
they must be rubbed from head to heel; they must wash 
their clothes and keep themselves clean. Give orders to 
have the men wash their feet, their hands, their faces, 
every day. 

February 5th. I have just heard of the arrival at Alex- 
andria of a merchantman from Ragusa with a cargo 
of wine, and with letters for me from Genoa and from 
Ancona; it is the first news from Europe since eight 
months. 

The troops are now on the march across the desert. 

(To Kleber.) At last we have news from France. Jour- 
dan has left the Legislative Assembly and is in command 
of the army of the Rhine. Joubert has the army of Italy. 
Steps have been taken to recruit the armies; it appears 
that all young men of eighteen years of age are called on, 
and are known as conscripts. Europe is arming on all 
sides. % 

10th. I have observed the Ramadan, which began 
yesterday, with the greatest ceremony; I carried out the 
duties which formerly devolved on the Pasha. 

(To the Directoire.) When you read this letter I may 
be standing among the ruins of the temple of Solomon. 
Djezzar Pasha, an old man 70 years of age, is a ferocious 
person, who has unbounded hatred of the French. He 
has treated with disdain the friendly advances which I 
made. 



92 THE CORSICAN [1799 

On the 29th of Brumaire I sent him a letter; he had the 
messenger's head chopped off. Egypt was inundated with 
firmans that revealed Djezzar's hostile intentions and 
announced his arrival. His advance guard occupied El 
Arych, where there are a few good wells and a fort in the 
desert. 

There was therefore no choice. I was challenged; I 
promptly decided to carry the war into the enemy's coun- 
try. 
,_ ,17th, in front of El Arych: 

The divisions of the army started from different points 
to meet at El Arych, where we have now established con- 
tact with the enemy. The Mameluks, supported by a body 
of Djezzar Pasha's troops, were there. Regnier's division 
came up and immediately attacked the Mameluks, killed 
about 400, and now holds the rest blockaded in the fort. 

You are not my friend ! — The women ! — Josephine ! 

— If you were my friend, you would long ago have told 
me what I have just learned from Junot, — there is a true 
friend. Josephine ! — and I am six hundred leagues away 

— you ought to have told me! — Josephine! — to deceive 
me in such a fashion! — she! — Let them beware! I will 
wipe out these dandies and exquisites! — As for her — a 
divorce. Yes, a divorce, publicly, scandalously! I must 
write, I know everything! — It's your fault, you ought 
to have told me! 

My reputation ? Eh ! I don't know what I wouldn't 
give if only what Junot has told me were not true — I love 
that woman so! If Josoi)liino is guilty, a divorce nuist 
separate us forever. I will not be the laughing-slock of all 



^T. 29] A DIARY 93 

the wastrels of Paris ! I will write to Joseph, he will get 
me a divorce. 

18th. The artillery is having great diflSculties owing to 
the quicksands, and the army is so placed that the least 
delay may be fatal. 

The capture of El Arych makes a good beginning for 
the campaign. 
26th, Gaza: 

We are in water and mud up to our knees; the cold and 
weather are just what we get at Paris at this season. The 
country is finer than we supposed, and we have unexpect- 
edly found stores of provisions and war material, includ- 
ing many cannon-balls of European make. i 
(To General Marmont.) Send the three ships to Jaffa; 
their cargoes may help us in besieging St. John of 
Acre. 

(To General Menou.) I have learned with pleasure that 
you have been attending worship in the mosque. 

27th. We crossed 70 leagues of desert with much 
fatigue; the water was brackish, when there was any. We 
eat dogs, donkeys, and camels. 
March 6th, in front of Jaffa: 

At eight o'clock to-morrow morning Delignette's bat- 
tery will open. General Bon will support the mortar bat- 
tery. General Lannes will place six companies of grena- 
diers at the breaching battery before daylight. When the 
firing between the town and our light infantry is well de- 
veloped, two columns, each of three companies of grena- 
diers, will move on the breach and carry it. Battalions will 
be pushed up successively in support of the grenadiers 
and light infantry. 



94 THE CORSICAN [1799 

7th. (To Abdallah-Aga, commandant of Jaffa.) God 
is merciful and longsuffering! 

Bonaparte, general-in-chief, informs you that he is in 
Palestine for no other purpose than to drive out the 
troops of Djezzar Pasha. Jaffa is completely blockaded, 
and in two hours our batteries will break down your walls 
and shatter your fortifications. His heart is touched by 
the suffering that would result to the city were it cap- 
tured by assault. He offers his safeguard to the garrison 
and protection to the city, and will therefore delay open- 
ing fire until seven o'clock this morning. 

8th. At dawn, I summoned the governor to surrender: 
he had my messenger's head cut off, and made no reply. 
At seven, we opened fire; at one, I judged the breach to 
be practicable. General Lannes made the arrangements 
for the attack; Adjutant Netherwood with ten riflemen 
led the way. At five, w-e were in possession of the city, 
which was sacked for twenty-four hours and given up to 
all the horrors of war, which never appeared more hid- 
eous. 

9th. (To General Berthier.) Summon the artillery 
colonel, get from him the names of the twenty principal 
artillery oflScers; have him take them with him to the 
village where the battalion is that is going to Cairo. There 
they are to be placed in the fort until further orders. When 
they have started for the village, order the adjutant-gen- 
eral on duty to take the artillerymen down to the coast, 
and to have them all shot, taking every precaution to pre- 
vent their escaping. 

18th, Mount Cannol: 

Captain Smith, with two English men-of-war has ar- 



^T. 29] A DIARY 95 

rived at St. John of Acre from Alexandria. Acre will be 
surrounded to-night. 

23d, in front of Acre : 

(To Sidney Smith.) Do not doubt my desire of showing 
you every courtesy and of making myself useful to any of 
your compatriots who may be victims of the mischance 
of war. 

29th. Since our arrival in front of Acre, plenty reigns 
in our camp. We have opened trenches against the city, 
and the work is being pushed on energetically. We have 
established a breaching battery, and have opened fire on 
the wall; we hope to carry the place very quickly. 

April 4th. (Order.) All soldiers who in the course of 
to-day and to-morrow bring in cannon-balls found in 
the open will receive 20 sous for each cannon-ball. 

5th. We are very short of cannon-balls. Commodore 
Smith with his two ships, the Theseus and the Tiger, has 
just returned after being away ten days. 

8th. We have now been a fortnight in front of Acre, 
where we hold Djezzar Pasha blockaded. The great 
quantity of artillery which the English have thrown into 
the town, with a reinforcement of gunners and officers, 
together with our own lack of guns, has delayed its cap- 
ture. But yesterday the two English men-of-war got an- 
noyed with us, and fired more than 2000 shot, which has 
given us a good supply. 

14th. The siege progresses. We have run a gallery 
beyond the counterscarp, 30 feet below the ditch, which 
is now only 18 feet from the wall. We have not fired a 
shot for two weeks; the enemy blaze away like mad; and 
we merely pick up their cannon-balls humbly, pay 20 



96 THE CORSICAN [1799 

sous for them, and pile them up so that we already have 
about 4000, That will be enough to pour in a hot fire 
for twenty-four hours, and to batter a fine breach. I 
am waiting before giving the signal for the sappers to be 
ready to blow up the counterscarp at the end of a double 
sap that runs straight to a tower; we are still 50 feet from 
the counterscarp, which is a matter of a coujile of nights. 
There are many French emigres and English in the town; 
we are dying to get at them; the chances are it will be on 
the 21st. 

18th. The Janissaries of Damascus, with the cavalry of 
Djezzar, the Arabs, and the Mameluks of Ibrahim Bey, 
crossed the Jordan to relieve Acre; they have been com- 
pletely defeated in engagements at Nazareth, Safed, and 
Cana, and in the battle of Mount Thabor. 

19th. (To citoyen Fourier.) Tell the Divan that when 
this letter reaches j'ou. Acre will be ours, and that I shall 
be on my way to Cairo. I am as anxious to be there as 
you are to see me. One of the first things I shall do will 
be to convene the Institute and to see whether we cannot 
do something to extend the bounds of human knowledge. 

21st. Mr. Smith is firing away hot and heavy. 

(Order.) The general-in-chief, as a mark of his great 
satisfaction with the 300 brave men conmianded by Briga- 
dier-General Junot, who, in the engagement at Nazareth, 
hold in check 5000 cavalry, captured 5 flags, and covered 
the battlefield with dead, orders: — 

A medal worlh 500 louis is ofTored for the best picture 
representing the battle of Nazareth. 

In this picture the French shall bo sliown in the uni- 
forms of the 2d light infantry ami lllli dragoons. 



^T.29] A DIARY 97 

The staff will have sketched by our artists in Egypt, 
dresses of the Mameluks, of the Janissaries of Damascus, 
of the Arabs, and will send them to the Minister of the 
Interior at Paris so that copies may be made and sent 
to the best artists of Paris, Milan, Florence, Rome, and 
Naples, and that a day may be set and judges chosen for 
the competition. 

This order shall be communicated to the communes 
of all the brave soldiers present at the battle of Naza- 
reth. 

23d, (To General Lannes.) The mine can be fired at 
the moment when our guns have silenced the enemy's; 
the general-in-chief will give the order himself. 

As soon as the mine is fired, the breach is to be stormed. 
Have a band placed in the 1st parallel, and have it strike 
up the instant our men have got into the breach. I am 
ordering all the grenadiers to report at your quarters 
before 4 o'clock in the morning. 

25th. More than 300 men were blown up by the mine. 
It did not (however) produce all the effect the engineers 
expected; part of the earthworks caved in; the ditch 
was completely filled for twenty feet on either side. 
Several burning barrels of gunpowder which the enemy 
threw into the breach demoralized the thirty grenadiers 
we had lodged there, and we had to abandon our lodg- 
ment before morning. General Caffarelli is dead. 

May 2d. Our 18-pounders have been at work these 
last two days. The tower is now a ruin. The enemy have 
only one gun left with which they can fire; realizing that 
they cannot defend their walls much longer, they are 
crowning their glacis with parapets. The day after to- 



98 THE CORSICAN [1799 

morrow we sliall get our 24-pounder.s up so as to make a 
breach, and as soon as it is practicable we shall deliver 
a general assault en masse. 

8th. Last night at ten o'clock we captured the breach 
tower. 

9th. This wretched clump of hovels has cost me 
many lives and much time. But things have gone so far 
that we must make a last attempt. If I succeed, as I hope 
and believe, I shall raise and arm all Syria. I shall march 
on Damascus and Aleppo. As I advance, I shall swell my 
ranks with all the discontented; I shall announce the end 
of slavery and of the tyrannous rule of the pashas. I shall 
reach Constantinople at the head of an armed multitude. 
I shall establish in the East a new and great Empire. If I 
fail in the last assault I mean to deliver, I shall leave at 
once, as time is pressing. I cannot reach Cairo before the 
middle of June. 

As Kleber's division is on the point of arriving, the in- 
tention of the general-iu-chief is that as soon as this divi- 
sion is rested it shall move to the breach to attack and 
capture the city. 

Night : 

The troops will leave camp at two o'clock in the morn- 
ing and march to the positions allotted to them in the 
plan of attack. 

10th. We have carried the j)rincipal parts of the wall, 
(but) the enemy have built a second wall abutting on 
Djezzar's palace. We should have to sap through the 
town, to open trenches before every house, and to lose 
more lives tli;iii I am w illiiit' to lose. In anv case, the sea- 



^T. 29] A DIARY 99 

son is too far spent. My object is accomplished; Egypt 
calls me, 

I am planting a battery of 24-pounders to raze Djez- 
zar's palace and the principal buildings of the town; I shall 
blaze away about a thousand shells, which, in so small 
a space, will do considerable damage. With Acre reduced 
to a heap of stones, I shall recross the desert, so as to be 
ready for any European or Turkish army that attempts 
to disembark in Egypt in July or August. 

16th. We have razed the palace of Djezzar and crushed 
the city under our shell fire. 

17th. Soldiers! With the swiftness of an Arab host 
you have crossed the desert that separates Africa from 
Asia. The army that was marching to invade Egypt is 
destroyed; you have captured its general, its material, its 
waterskins, and its camels. On the battlefield of Mount 
Thabor, you dispersed a horde that had gathered from 
the extreme parts of Asia for the pillage of Egypt. 

A few days more and you hoped to capture the pasha 
himself in his palace; but at this season of the year the 
citadel of Acre is not worth the loss of even a few days; 
the brave lives its capture would cost are needed for more 
important operations. 

20th. (To the Divisional Generals.) The assembly 
will be beaten at seven o'clock at night by one drum only 
for each company. General Murat with all the cavalry 
will not start until eleven o'clock at night. 

I have been through some trying moments. I allowed 
my imagination to interfere with my practice; but I think 
St. John of Acre has killed it. I shall take good care not 
to let it run away with my judgment again ! 



100 THE CORSICAN [1799 

27th, Jaffa: 

We reached Jaffa on the 25th. Detachments have been 
starting on the march to Egypt these last two days. I 
shall stay here a few more days to have the fortifications 
blown up. 

28th, Jaffa: 

There were fourteen or sixteen ill of the plague. I as- 
sembled a medical board, — they said the sick would die 
in twenty-four hours. I determined to wait that time 
rather than leave them to the Turks, who would cut off 
their noses and ears. At the end of the time only one 
or two were alive, and they were dying when my army 
marched. 

June 9th, Salheyeh: 

We got over the desert pretty w^ell. The English com- 
modore who has summoned Damietta to surrender is a 
lunatic. As he has always been in command of fireships, 
he has no notion of the manners that are called for in an 
important command. The allied army of which he speaks 
was destroyed in Acre. 

15th, Cairo: 

My entry took place in the midst of an inmiense throng 
that lined the streets, of all the muftis riding on their 
mules, because the Prophet had a preference for riding 
these beasts, of all the Ijodics of Janissaries, of the agas of 
police, of the descendants of Abou Bckr, of Fatima, and 
of the descendants of many saints revered by true believ- 
ers. The chief merchants walked in front, as well as the 
Coptic Patriarch; the procession was closed by the Greek 
auxiliaries. 

(To (icMioral Desaix.) I am here willi ])art of \\\v army. 



iET. 29] A DIARY 101 

We have reached the season when a landing is possible. 
I shall lose not one hour in making ready. 

Why don't you wear a flannel vest.'' It 's the only way 
to protect yourself against eye-trouble. 

19th. Still no news from France. 

28th. The French army has lost 5344 men since 
its arrival in Egypt. Next season we shall be reduced to 
15,000 effectives, from which deduct 2000 in hospital, 
500 veterans, 500 artificers who don't go into action, and 
we have 12,000 left. 

29th. (To citoyen Poussielgue.) Kindly let me know 
the ages of the three male slaves that have just come in 
from Upper Egypt; I want to buy them. 

July 15th. On the 13th a Turkish fleet made up of 5 
ships of the line, 3 frigates, 50 or 60 transports, anchored 
in the bay of Aboukir. 

20th, El Ramanyeh: 

(To General Kleber.) We have reached El Ramanyeh. 
Adjutant-General Jullien informs me that your advance 
guard has reached Rosetta, and that you are close up with 
the rest of your division. 

It appears certain that the enemy have landed at Abou- 
kir. My line of front will be Alexandria, Birket, and Ro- 
setta. I shall hold Birket in person with the main body. 
General Marmont will be at Alexandria, you at Rosetta, 
each with about the same number of troops; so that you 
are my right. General Marmont my left. If the enemy are 
in force, I shall fight them on good ground, bringing either 
my right or my left in to me. I shall hope that the wing 
that is not with me can get up fast enough to act as my 
reserve. Birket is one league off the parallel of Leloha, 



102 THE CORSICAN [1799 

and one league from Bescntonay. Get all the information 
you need, and try to place yourself so that instantly on 
ray order you can march rapidly on Edkou or Birket; and 
as it is quite likely that communications will be cut, get 
plenty of men out reconnoitring so as to know what I am 
doing and where I am; and should circumstances point 
to a movement that you are free to make, and you think 
it likely from your information that I would have or- 
dered you to make it, you can go ahead. 

21st. (To the Divan of Cairo.) They are begin- 
ning to disembark at Aboukir; I am not interfering with 
them. There are Russians on the fleet, people who hold 
in horror those who believe in the unity of God because, 
according to their lies, they believe that there are three 
Gods. 

22d. The enemy's fleet has been reinforced by 30 
ships. Their army is in position in front of Aboukir; I am 
starting in two hours to reconnoitre. 

24th. At the well between Alexandria and Aboukir. 

(To General Murat.) Take command of all the cavalry. 
The advance guard will march on the enemj^ at two o'clock 
in the morning; no drums will be beaten. 

25th, near Aboukir: 

At seven o'clock we were in presence of the enemy, who 
were in position one league in front of the fort of Alwukir. 
We attacked them, completely defeated them, captured 
their redoubts, intrenchments, and camp. The enemy ran 
into the sea in an attempt to reach their ships three quar- 
ters of a league away. They were all drowned, — the most 
horrible sight I ever witnessed. We have captured the 
general-in-chief who is wounded, his name is Mustafa 



iET. 29-30] A DIARY 103 

Pasha; I shall take him to Cairo with me. We had 100 
killed and 400 wounded, among the latter General Murat. 
The battle of Aboukir is one of the most successful I have 
seen. Of the army which the enemy disembarked, not a 
man has escaped. This victory, which will have so much 
influence on the fortunes of the Republic, is due chiefly to 
General Murat. 

27th. (Order.) The general-in-chief, as a mark of his 
satisfaction with General Murat's cavalry brigade, which 
covered itself with glory at the battle of Aboukir, directs 
the commanding officer of the artillery to hand over to 
this brigade the two English fieldpieces which had been 
sent by the Court of London as a present to Constanti- 
nople, and that were captured in the battle. 

The names of each of the three regiments of this bri- 
gade, the 7th hussars, the 3d and 4th dragoons, and the 
names of General Murat and of Adjutant-General Roize, 
shall be engraved on each gun; on the breach shall be 
inscribed: Battle of Aboukir. 

August 11th, Cairo: 

I have English gazettes to the 10th of June. France 
declared war against the Emperor on the 13th of March. 
Jourdan has been defeated at Feldkirch and has with- 
drawn across the Rhine. Scherer, who had been given the 
army of Italy, has been beaten at Rivoli, and is back 
across the Mincio. Mantua is blockaded. 

If ever I have the luck to set foot in France again, the 
reign of chatter is over. 

16th. (Order.) The commandants of provinces will 
make known by a circular in Arabic sent to all villages. 



104 THE CORSICAN [1799 

the pomp with which the festival of the Prophet has been 
observed in Cairo. All the array, carrying a great num- 
ber of torches, proceeded to the house of Sheik El Bekrj'; 
the general-in-chief had dined with him, as had INIustafa 
Pasha and the principal officers made prisoners at the bat- 
tle of Aboukir. The general-in-chief was present at the 
reading of various Arabic poems in honour of the Prophet, 
after which, surrounded by the principal sheiks, he at- 
tended worship and ordered the genealogy of the Prophet 
to be read. The Pasha and the Turkish prisoners could 
not overcome their surprise at seeing the respect professed 
by the French for Islam and the law of the most holy of 
Prophets. 

19th, Menouf : 

(To General Kleber.) I am convinced that there is no 
hostile fleet of any size in the Mediterranean. Please start 
for Rosetta at once. I have to confer with you on mat- 
ters of extreme importance. 

22d, Alexandria: 

I leave to-night for France. 

(To General Kleber.) You will find herewith an order 
for assuming command of the army. I am taking with 
me Generals Berthier, Lannes, Murat, Andreossy, and 
Marmont, citoyens Monge and Bcrthollet, 

I inclose you the English papers to the 10th of June. 
You will sec that we have lost Italy; that Mantua, Turin, 
and Tortona are besieged. I have reason to expect that 
the first named fortress will hold out until the end of 
November. I hoj)e, if fate is propitious, to reach Europe 
before the beginning of October. 

Accustomed as I am to a icw the good opinion of poster- 



^T.30] A DIARY 105 

ity as the fit reward for the pains and labours of hfe, I 
leave Egypt with the deepest regret. The interests of our 
country, her destiny, my duty, the extraordinary events 
that are occurring, have decided me to pass through the 
enemy's fleets to return to Europe. In mind and in heart 
I shall be with you; I will value your successes as highly as 
if I were still among you, and I shall reckon ill-employed 
every day on which I do nothing to help the army I 
place under your orders. The army I am leaving you 
is ^lade up of my children, who have at all times, even 
in the greatest affliction, given me constantly tokens of 
their affection; maintain them in these sentiments; it 
is your duty because of the esteem and affection I 
have for you, and because of my real attachment to 
them. 

(To General Junot.) When you receive this letter I 
shall be far away from Egypt. I regretted not being able 
to take you with me; you were too far from our starting- 
point. I have left orders with Kleber to send you off in 
October. In any case, wherever and however we may be 
situated, believe in the continuance of my devoted friend- 
ship. 

October 7th, Ajaccio : 

At Ajaccio we got news of our continued reverses in 
Italy, the capture of Mantua, the battles of Novi and La 
Trebbia, the landing of the Anglo-Russians in Holland, 
and the events of Prairial. 

8th, Frejus: 

At nightfall we sighted the French coast. Universal en- 
thusiasm broke out on its becoming known that General 
Bonaparte was on board the frigates. As in Corsica 



106 THE CORSICAN [1799 

the two ships were at once invaded by a crowd, notwith- 
standing repeated and pressing warnings of the danger 
of not observing the laws of quarantine. 

9th. The quarantine officers gave us a clean bill, and 
at noon we went ashore, the forty-seventh day since our 
departure from Alexandria. 

On the same day General Bonaparte started for Paris; 
on his way he was received with demonstrations of joy 
that show-ed the political effect of his unexpected return. 

10th, Aix: 

Citoyens Directeurs : Since leaving France I have re- 
ceived only one dispatch from you; it found me in front of 
Acre, and from that moment I judged that I could not re- 
main absent from France much longer. I obtained copies 
of the English gazettes to. the 6th of June, and from them 
learned of the defeats of Jourdan in Germany and of 
Scherer in Italy. I started immediately, that very hour, 
with the frigates La Muiron and La Carfere, although both 
slow sailers. I did not stop to reckon the risk; my duty 
was to proceed wherever I might be most useful. That 
being my view, I would have wrapped myself in my cloak 
and started in an open boat, if I had had no frigates. I 
have made my way through the English cruisers. I have 
landed at Frejus safely. I shall be in Paris nearly as soon 
as my letter. 

15th. Arrival in Paris, rue dc la Vicioire. 

No further relations between us ! She shall not set foot 
in my house! What do I care what people will say? They 
will gossip for one or two days, and talk of something else 
the third. Forgive her ? Never ! 



iET.30] A DIARY 107 

Well ! well ! She is here ! Don't believe that I have for- 
given her; — never while I live. I wanted to doubt! — 
Her truthfulness! I drove her out when I arrived. And 
that fool Joseph who was here ! 

But what could I do ? As she came down the staircase 
in tears, I saw Eugene, Hortense, who were following her 
sobbing. I was not given a heart for nothing, and I can- 
not remain unmoved when I see tears flowing. Eugene 
followed me to Egypt; I have accustomed myself to 
look on him as my adopted son; he is so brave, he is such 
a good boy! Hortense is just coming out; all who know 
her speak highly of her. I confess, I was deeply moved, I 
could n't resist the sobs of those two poor children; I said 
to myself: Are they to be the victims of their mother's ill 
conduct.'' I stopped Eugene. Hortense turned back with 
her mother; I said nothing. How could I help it ? Every 
man is weak! 

17th. So you believe that the thing can be done ? 

22d. I have already learned a good deal : but we shall 
see. I think I shall have Bernadotte and Moreau against 
me. I am not afraid of Moreau; he is soft, has no energy. 
But Bernadotte! He has Moorish blood in his veins; 
he is bold and enterprising; he is related by marriage 
to my brothers; he dislikes me; I am pretty sure he 
will be against me. Well, we have only just arrived, we '11 
see. 

24th. Patience! The pear is nearly ripe. 

November 1st. Well, Bourrienne, I '11 bet that you can't 
guess with whom I breakfasted to-day, eh? With Berna- 
dotte, and the joke is that I invited myself. Yes. You 
would have seen the whole business if you had come to the 



108 THE CORSICAN [1799 

Theatre Frangais with me last night. I ran right into 
Bcrnadotte as we were coming out, and upon my word, 
not knowing what on earth to say to him on the spur of 
the moment, I asked him if he would join our party to-day. 
He replied that he would, and as we were then in front of 
his house in the rue Cisalpine, I plain asked him for a cup 
lof coffee and said I would be delighted to have some talk 
with him. He made himself quite pleasant to me. ^Yhat 
do you think of it, Bourrienne ? No, no, I was right, you 
may be sure; it will compromise him with (the Directeur) 
Gohier. Remember one thing: always take the first step 
towards your enemies and put on a good countenance, 
otherwise they think you are afraid and are encouraged. 
^ 6th. (Brumaire 15.) 

To subvert a representa-tive form of government is a 
criminal proposal in this century of enlightenment and 
liberty. (Vive Bonaparte! Peace! Peace!) I raise my 
glass to the union of all Frenchmen ! 

7th. (Brumaire 16.) 

Well, general, what is your opinion as to the state of the 
Republic ? 

( Jourdan : Unless some more stable order can be evolved 
we shall have to despair of saving the country.) 

We need a stronger government. Don't be uneasy; all 
will be done in the interests of the Republic. 

8th. (Brumaire 17.) 

When it comes to conspiracy', everj^thing is permis- 
sible. 

I have accei)tecl an iiivilation to dine with Collier to- 
morrow: but you may be sure I shan't go. I regret his 



2ET.30] A DIARY 109 

obstinacy, however. To reassure him a Httle my wife is 
inviting him to breakfast. I have seen Barras this morn- 
ing, and he was in a state of great anxiety when I left him. 
He begged me to call this evening: I promised him I 
would, but I don't want to; to-morrow it will all be over. 
That's not a great while to gain. Come, good-night; be 
here at seven o'clock in the morning. 

9th. (Brumaire 18.) 

The army has come to me, and I have come to the legis- 
lative body. 

What have you done with France which I left in your 
hands so prosperous ? I left you peace, I find war ! I left 
you victories, I find defeats! I left you millions, I find 
beggary! This state of things must cease. 

Citoyens Representants: The Republic was perishing, you 
perceived it, and your decree has saved it. Let those who 
seek to foment disorder beware ! I will arrest them with 
the help of my companions in arms. Your wisdom has 
framed this decree; our arms will carry it out. We want 
a Republic founded on real liberty, on civil liberty, on 
national representation; we will succeed, we swear it. 

(To the Army.) Soldiers! The extraordinary decree of 
the Council of Ancients has placed me in command of the 
city and army. For two years past the Republic has been 
badly governed. You had hoped that my return would 
bring our afflictions to an end; you have hailed it with an 
unanimity that imposes on me the obligation I am now 
fulfilling; you will fulfil yours and support your general 
with energy and firmness, and with that same confidence 
which I have always reposed in you. 



110 THE CORSICAN [1799 

Liberty, victory, and peace will restore to the French 
Republic the rank she formerly held in Europe, and that 
only ineptitude or treason could make her lose. Vive la 
Rcpublique! 

Night : 

It is peace we have conquered: that is what must be 
said in every newspaper, every theatre; what must be 
repeated in prose, in verse, even in ballads. 

Things went pretty well to-day. We'll see to-mor- 
row. 

10th. (Brumaire 19.) The two Councils meet at Saint 
Cloud. 

9 A. iJ., Place de la Concorde: 

To-morrow we shall sleep in the Luxembourg, or finish 
here. 

2 P.M., Saint Cloud: 

The wine is drawn, we must drink it. Augereau, remem- 
ber Areola ! 

(To the Council of Ancients.) Citoyens Representants: 
The existing circumstances are extraordinary; you are on 
a volcano. Yesterday I was living quietly in Paris when 
you charged me to carry out your decree for transferring 
(the session of the Legislature to Saint Cloud). I immedi- 
ately called together my comrades, and we flew to your 
helj). Well, to-day, I am already ovorwholnied with cal- 
umny. C;rsar, Cromwell, a military government, are 
sjioken of. Had I aimed at a military govermnent, would 
I have lent my sn])port to the national representatives ? 
The Republic is without a government. The Council of 
Five Hundred is divided against itself. There is only the 



^T.30] A DIARY 111 

Council of Ancients. It is from that Council I derive my 
powers : it is for you to take steps, — speak, I am here to 
carry out your measures. Let us save liberty; let us save 
equality ! 

(A voice : And what about the Constitution ?) 

The Constitution ? You yourselves have torn it up. You 
broke it on the 18th of Fructidor; you broke it on the 22d 
of Floreal; you broke it on the 30th of Prairial. Not a soul 
respects it any longer. I will speak out. Since my return, 
I have been surrounded with intrigues. Every faction has 
approached me. And men who arrogantly describe them- 
selves as the only patriots have urged me to thrust the 
Constitution aside. 

(Several voices: Names! names!) 

Outspokenness of a soldier — agitation — (increasing 
confusion and noise) victories — Constitution broken — 
Caesar, Cromwell, tyrant — that 's all I have to say to 
you. — Liberty ! Equality ! — You forget the Constitution ! 
— Hypocrites, intriguers — I am not — I will abdi- 
cate from power the instant the Republic is free from 
danger. — The God of War and the God of Fortune is 
with me! 

(Bourrienne: Come away, general: you don't know 
what you are saying.) 

My friends will follow me! 

And you, brave grenadiers, if any speaker dares to ap- 
ply the word outlaw to your general, let the thunders of 
war crush him instantly. 

So I talked a lot of nonsense, did I ? 
(Well, yes, general.) 



112 THE CORSICAN [1799 

I had rather talk to soldiers than to lawyers. Those . . . 
made me nervous. I am not accustomed to assemblies; it 
may come in time. 

4 P. if. : 

I entered the Council of Five Hundred, alone, un- 
armed. The daggers of the deputies are at once raised 
against their lil^erator. Twenty assassins rush at me. 

(Down with the tyrant! Dictator! Dictator! Outlaw 
him!) 

4.30 P.M.: 

To arms ! My horse ! Soldiers ! can I trust you ? I will 
bring them to reason! 

(Murat: Grenadiers, forward! Vive la Republique! 
Vive Bonaparte!) 

5 p. M. : 

The Council of Five Hundred is cleared by the troops. 

Jl P.M.: 

I have tried not to be the man of a party. Conserva- 
tive, paternal, liberal ideas have been restored to their 
rightful place among us. 

(Proclamation.) On my return to Paris I found the 
Government divided, and all men agreed on this truth, 
that the Constitution was half ruined and could not 
save the cause of liberty. All parties came to me, told 
me their plans, revealed thoir secrets, and asked for my 
support: I refused to be the tool of any party. 

The Council of Ancients summoned me; I answered 
its appeal. I thought it niy duty to my fellow citizens, 
to the soldiers who are dyiii^ witli our armies, to the na- 
tional glory j)urchased with their blood, to accept the com- 



iET.30] A DIARY 113 

mand. The Councils met at Saint Cloud; the troops guar- 
anteed the maintenance of order outside, but inside a gang 
of assassins establish terror. Several deputies of the Coun- 
cil of Five Hundred, armed with daggers and jBrearms, 
uttered threats of death. I laid my complaints before the 
Council of Ancients; I called on it to insure the execution 
of its beneficent decrees; it joined me by renewed demon- 
strations of its unaltered resolve. I entered the Council 
of Five Hundred, alone, unarmed, my head uncovered. 
Daggers are at once raised against me; twenty assassins 
fly at me and strike at my breast. The grenadiers of the 
legislative body, whom I had left at the door, rush in to 
interpose between the assassins and me. They drag me 
out. At the same moment cries of Outlaiv are raised against 
the protector of the law. They crowd around the presi- 
dent (Lucien Bonaparte) with threats in their mouths, 
and arms in their hands; they call on him for a declaration 
of outlawry; word is sent out to me; I give orders to have 
him saved from their rage, and six grenadiers bring him 
out. Immediately after this the grenadiers of the legisla- 
tive body charge into the hall and clear it. Alarmed, the 
factions disperse and go away. 

People of France, you will doubtless recognize in my 
conduct the zeal of a soldier of liberty, of a citizen devoted 
to the Republic. 

11th, Paris: 

Have you no muster rolls at the war office ? At all 
events, you must have an account of the pay, which will 
give us the same result.'* — An account of the stores ? 
Gf the clothing ? 



114 THE CORSICAN (1799 

You have worked a long time in the Ministry of Fi- 
nance ? 

(Gaudin: Twenty years, general.) 

We need your help. Come, take the oath, we arc in a 
hurry. 

l^th. People of France: Swear with us to be true to 
the Republic one and indivisible, founded on equality, 
liberty, and the representative system. 

The Consuls of the Republic: 

Bonaparte, Roger Ducos, Sieyes. 

15th. Every day must be marked by one step forward 
in the creation of a general system of finance. 

24th. (To General Jourdan.) I have received your 
letter of the 20th. You were vexed at the events of the 
10th. But the worst is over now, and I am more than 
anxious to see the victor of Fleurus remain in the path 
that will lead us to organization, true liberty, and hap- 
piness. 

You must rally to the mass of citizens. Is not the plain 
designation French citizen equal to that of royalist, of 
CUchien, of Jacobin, of Feuillant, and of those thousand 
and one denominations born of a factious spirit that for 
ten years past have threatened to plunge the nation into 
an abyss from which it is time it should be drawn for- 
ever. 

Sieyes thinks that he alone can arrive at truth ; when an 
objection is raised, he replies as though he were inspired, 
and there 's an end to the matter. 

(Sieyes: Do you want to be king, then ?) 



^T. 30] A DIARY 115 

December 1st. The Minister of War will take steps for 
having at least 100 fieldpieces of the army of Italy horsed 
and made ready for active service as rapidly as possible. 

Have a plan drawn up for placing all flags captured 
from the enemy under the dome of the Invalides; have the 
chronology of the victories of the Republic engraved on 
marble tablets. 

4th. The Minister of War will send for Generals Moreau 
and Clarke to draw up a plan of operations for the new 
army of the Rhine. It will be reinforced. 

5th, Concentrate at Lyons the remnants of the demi- 
brigades of the 8th military division that were formerly 
with the army of Italy, and reorganize them so that in 
three or four months we can form an army of reserve. 

6th. If Sieyes goes to the country, draw up the plan 
of a constitution quickly; I will push it through. 

7th. Inform General Moreau that the Consuls think 
there is urgent need he should join the army. 

14th. The Constitution is being drawn up. 

Citoyen Daunou, Sit down there, (and write.) 

The decision of the First Consul shall be sufficient! 
(Sieyes: my only wish is to retire.) 

15th. A constitution should be short and obscure. 
'. (To the People of France.) A constitution is submitted 
to you. It will bring to an end the uncertainties which 
attended the provisional government in all its dealings, 
exterior, military, and interior. ^ < • 
- The Constitution is based on the true principles of re- 
presentative government, on the sacred rights of property, 
of equality, of liberty. 



116 THE CORSICAN [1799 

The powers it provides for are strong and stable, as 
they should be to guarantee the rights of citizens and the 
interests of the State. 

Citizens, the Re^'olution is now anchored to the princi- 
ples which gave it birth. The Revolution is finished. 
Bonaparte, Roger Ducos, Sieves. 

18th. I trust that the ensuing campaign will be more 
honourable to the French arms than the last. 

21st. The object of the Republic in prosecuting the 
war is to bring about a peace. It is on the army com- 
manded by General Moreau that rests the Rej)ublic's 
chief hope of peace for the moment. The Government has 
absolute confidence in the zeal and military capacity of 
General Moreau. 

22d. Considering the present condition of the army of 
Italy, the Consuls of the Republic declare: that General 
Massena is intrusted with extraordinary powers. He 
may suspend and dismiss anj' general who has lost his 
confidence. He may disband corps and cashier officers for 
insubordination. 

25th. (To His Majesty the King of Great Britain and 
Ireland.) Called by the wishes of the French nation to 
the first magistracy of the Ropul)lic, I think it proper, 
on taking up my duties, to notify Your Majesty of the 
fact in person. 

Is the war that for eight years past has devastated the 
four quarters of the world to be eternal ? Is there no possi- 
bility of coming to an agreement ? How can the two most 
enlightened nations of Euroi)C. both more powerful than 
is needed to secure their safely and imlependence, sacri- 
fice to some vague notion of sui)eriority the interests of 



^T.30] A DIARY 117 

commerce, internal prosperity, and the happiness of fami- 
lies ? How can they fail to see that peace is the first of 
necessities and the greatest of glories ? 

Your Majesty must see in this overture nothing but my 
sincere desire by prompt action to contribute efficaciously 
for the second time to a general pacification. 

(To His Majesty the Emperor, King of Hungary and of 
Bohemia.) Once more in Europe after an absence of eight- 
een months, I find war raging between the French Repub- 
lic and Your Majesty. The French nation has summoned 
me to its chief magistracy. Far as I am from any sen- 
timents of vainglory, my greatest desire is to prevent the 
effusion of the blood that is about to flow. Your Ma- 
jesty's reputation leaves me no doubt as to your most 
heartfelt desire. If that sentiment is given its course, I 
do not doubt that we can conciliate the interests of the 
two countries. 

(To the army of Italy.) Soldiers! The circumstances 
that have placed me at the head of the Government pre- 
vent me from being in your midst. 

■ Soldiers ! Several corps have abandoned their positions, 
have refused to listen to the voice of their officers. The 
17th light infantry is one of them. Are the brave soldiers 
of Castiglione and of Rivoli all dead, then? They would 
have perished rather than abandon their flags. 

Soldiers of Italy! A new general commands you. He 
was always in the front rank in the days of your glory. 
Give him your confidence; he will bring victory back to 
your standards. 

i I shall have a daily account rendered me of the conduct 
of all the corps, especially of the 17th light infantry and 



118 THE CORSICAN [1799 

of the 63d of the line. Let them remember how I once 
trusted them! 

26th. (To Lucien Bonaparte, Minister of the Interior.) 
If war were not a necessity, my first care would be to 
found the prosperity of France on the communes. It is a 
much simpler matter, when reconstructing a nation, to 
deal with one thousand of its inhabitants at a time in- 
stead of striving romantically for the individual happiness 
of every one. In France a commune stands for 1000 
inhabitants. To work at the prosperity of the 36,000 
communes is to work at the prosperity of the 36,000,000 
inhabitants, while simplifying the question, and reducing 
the difficulty by the proportion that exists between 36,000 
and 36,000,000. 

The Minister of the Interior will carefully consider the 
following ideas: 

^' Before the Revolution the commune belonged to the 
lord and to the priests; the vassal and the parishioner had 
no right to the roads; no ditches, nor fields for pasturing 
their cows or their sheep. Since 1790, when, suddenly 
and righteously, these common rights of communication 
and pasturage were snatched from the hands of the feudal 
lord, each municipality has, under the protection of the 
laws, become a real person, having the right to hold, to 
acquire, and to sell property, and to perform every deed 
known to our law for the benefit of the municipal com- 
munity. France was therefore suddenly divided into 
36,000 individualities, each one of which was subject to 
all the instincts of the pro])riet()r, which are to increase 
his possessions, to improve his products, to swell his reve- 
nue. The root of the prosperity of France, therefore, lay 
at that point. 



iET.30] A DIARY 119 

The reason why nothing has grown from this root is 
this: that an individual proprietor is always ahve to his 
interests, while a community is, on the contrary, sleepy and 
sterile; the interests of an individual are a matter of simple 
instinct; those of a commune demand virtue, and virtue 
is rare. Since 1790 the 36,000 communes are but 36,000 
orphans, heiresses of the old feudal privileges, neglected 
or plundered these ten years by the municipal tutors of 
the Convention and of the Directoire. They have stolen 
from the roads, from the pathways, from the trees, from 
the churches. What would become of the communes if this 
went on another ten years ? The first duty of a Minister 
of the Interior is to stop an evil which will otherwise in- 
fect these 36,000 members of the social body. 

The first condition, when dealing with a great evil, is to 
diagnose carefully its gravity and its incidents. The Min- 
ister of the Interior will therefore begin by drawing up a 
general schedule of the situation of the 36,000 communes 
of France. We have never had such a schedule. Here are 
the principal heads to be set down. 

There will be three classes: Communes that are in 
debt; communes whose accounts balance; communes with 
assets. The last two classes are not numerous, and their 
case is not pressing. The real question is how to clear the 
communes that are in debt. 

The Schedule will show: 

1°. Details of property accruing to the commune after 
the division of communal property. 

2°. Details of the loans, of outstanding debts, and of 
dates of payment. 

3°. Valuation of revenues under specified heads, as 
rents, leases, etc. 



120 THE CORSICAN [1799 

4*'. Charges other than those that are strictly com- 
munal, as payments to hospitals, charities, etc. 

5°. Details of the roads with a general indication of 
those that are useful and those that might be sold. 

6°. Condition of the rectories, churches, and annexes. 

7°. Details of rebates to be got from owners of foreshore 
■who have plundered the commune. 

8". Timber, and of what kind, that might profitably be 
sold. 

9°. Whether leases, rights of fishery and of pasturing 
might be made more remunerative. 

When this schedule is drawn up, the prefect will be noti- 
fied that the whole effort of the administration must be 
brought to bear on the communes that are in debt, and 
that the mayors who do not come into line with these 
ideas of communal improvement must be removed. The 
prefect is to visit these communes at least twice a year, 
and the sub-prefect four times a year, under penalty of 
removal from office. A monthly report shall be sent to 
the minister of what is being done and of what remains to 
be done in these communes. 

Suggestions may be sent in to me for a prize to be 
awarded to mayors who free their communes from debt 
within two years, and the Government will appoint a 
special Commissioner to administer every commune that 
is not free in five years. 

In five years, therefore, there will be only two classes of 
coininunos in France: Comnumcs with assets; communes 
whoso accounts bahmco. IIa\ ing reached lliis first level- 
ling up, the efforts of the niiiiisler and of the eonmnmes 
will be directed towards l)ringing up the coninumes who.se 



iET.so] A DIARY 121 

accounts balance into the class of the communes with 
assets, so that in ten years France will have none but the 
latter class. Then the trend towards prosperity resulting 
from 36,000,000 individual efforts will be intensified by 
the power of 36,000 communal entities, all acting under 
the guidance of Government in the line of greater and 
greater improvement. 

Every year the fifty mayors who have done most to free 
their communes, or to increase their resources, shall be 
brought to Paris at the expense of the State and presented 
ceremonially to the three Consuls. A column erected at 
the expense of the Government at the principal entrance 
of the city or village will hand the name of the mayor 
down to posterity. On it shall be inscribed: "A grateful 
country to the guardian of his commune!" 

29th. (To General Berthier.) You will find herewith 
a proclamation and several decrees of the Government 
relating to the Vendee. You will note that the inhabitants 
are free to practise their religion; that unsold churches 
are handed over to the communes ; that the priests are to 
be asked for no other oath than that of fidelity to the 
Constitution; and that the priests are at liberty to cele- 
brate mass whenever they wish. 



1800 

January 12th, Paris: 

On the first day of each decade there shall be held a gen- 
eral council of finance; on the fourth day a council of mili- 
tary administration; on the sixth day a council of naval 
administration. On the 8th day of each month there shall 
be a council of judicial administration; on the 18th, one 
for foreign affairs; and on the 28th, one for internal and 
police matters. These Councils will meet at the First Con- 
sul's at half-past nine in the e\'ening. 

When I want to close off one matter, I push in its file, 
and pull out another. I never get them mixed up, and they 
never bother nor fatigue me. If I want to sleep, 1 push in 
all the files at once, and I'm asleep. 

13th. Four millions are all important to us in the pre- 
sent situation. Perhaps we could raise them at Hamburg. 

14th. (TocitoyenGaudin.) General Moreau complains 
that his drafts on Bille have not been honoured. His army 
is in absolute want. It is urgent to send him money. 
Couldn't you get some drafts on Marseilles or Cor- 
sica ? 

15th. (To brave Leon.) I have received your letter, my 
brave comrade; there was no necessity to remind me of 
your deeds. Since the death of brave Bcnezette you are 
tlio l)ravost grenadier of the army. One of the hundred 
swords I am giving to the army goes to you. All the men 
agreed that you were the model of your regiment. I am 



iET.30] A DIARY 123 

anxious to see you; the Minister of War will issue an order 
to that effect. I regard you as my son. 

General Murat will give him a brevet as sub-lieutenant 
in the Consular Guard, and will write him a letter. 

25th. I intend to organize a Reserve army, of which 
the command will go to the First Consul. 

February 7th. (Order.) Washington is dead. That 
great man fought against despotism. He established the 
liberty of his country. His memory will always be trea- 
sured by the French people, as it will by the free men of 
both continents, and especially by the French soldiers 
who, like him and the American soldiers, are fighting for 
equality and liberty. 

The First Consul therefore orders that, for the space of 
ten days, a black crape shall be draped on the standards 
and guidons of the Republic. 

13th. (To General Hedouville.) Inform Bourmont that 
he must surrender his guns within twenty-four hours 
of your summons, and 3000 muskets within three days. 
On his refusal put yourself at the head of your troops 
and don't take your boots off till you've destroyed 
him. 

18th. At the palace of the Tuileries: 

To be here is nothing, we've got to stay here! 

(To General Brune.) From what you write about 
Georges (Cadoudal) I shall be glad to see him in Paris. 
Send me a list of the leaders. Frotte has been captured 
with all his staff; I had refused to negotiate with him. At 
this writing he should be shot; so that peace is pretty well 
established in Normandy. 



124 THE CORSICAN [I800 

27th. Announce the Civil Code for next session. Give 
me the names of men who can carry through the work, 
and draw up a decree. 

March 1st. There will be a grand parade of all the 
troops of the garrison in the Court of the Tuileries every 
decade. 

5th. I saw Georges this morning; he looks a burly 
Breton who might be turned to some useful account for 
his country. 

Will it be peace ? Or will it be war ? That is still very 
uncertain. However, the Emperor negotiates with some 
politeness; so far as manners go it all looks well. 

8th. (Proclamation.) People of France, you want peace. 
Your Government desires it even more ardently than you. 
Our first hopes, our constant endeavours, have been to 
secure it. The English Government has betrayed the secret 
of its horrible policy. To tear France asunder; to destroy 
her navy and her ports; to efface her name from Europe; 
to reduce her to the rank of a second rate power; to divide 
the nations of the continent so as to seize their commerce 
and enrich herself with their spoils : these are the hideous 
successes for which England lavishes her gold, her pro- 
mises, and her intrigues. If any Power still insists on at- 
tempting the fate of arms, the First Consul has promised 
peace; he will conquer it at the head of those warriors lie 
has more than once led to victory. With them he will 
know how to find once more the fields of their former 
exploits; but in the midst of battle he will invoke peace, 
and he swears to fight for nothing but the happiness of 
France and the repose of the world. 

12th. (To General Massena.) The campaign will soon 



iET.30] A DIARY 125 

open on the Rhine. Melas, who is against you, is not very 
deep. He is far from having your military ability, or your 
activity. I am very distressed at your situation, but I 
count on your zeal and on your talent. 

15th. The first division of the Reserve army, about 
12,000 strong, will start from Paris to-morrow. The two 
other divisions left Nantes and Rennes on the 12th. 

16th. (To General Moreau.) I have become a sort of 
lay figure, having lost my liberty of action and happiness. 
I envy you your lucky fate. At the head of brave men 
you will accomplish great things. I would willingly trade 
off my consular purple for the stripe of a chef de brigade 
under your orders. 

I hope that circumstances will allow me to come to 
your help. In any case, I have the fullest confidence 
in you. 

(To a journalist.) I am trying my strength against 
Europe; you are trying yours against the spirit of the 
Revolution. Your ambition is greater than mine, and I 
have more chances of success than you. 

20th, Malmaison: 

I was here last Sunday, walking, alone with the silence 
of nature. The sound of the church-bell of Rueil suddenly 
struck my ear; it gave me a sharp sensation. So strong is 
the power of early habit and education over us ! I said to 
myself : How great must that impression be on simple and 
credulous men ! Let the philosophers and rationalists get 
over that! The people need a religion. 

April 4th. General Berthier is starting for the Reserve 
army; I have appointed Carnot minister of war. I have 



126 THE CORSICAN [1800 

not yet sent my baggage off; I am daily expecting decisive 
iuformation from Vienna. 

5th. The First Consul would be gratified by the sup- 
pression of the couplet that alludes to him in the Tableau 
des Sabiiies. 

(To citoyen Fouche.) The Consuls intend that the 
journals Le Bien Informe, Les Hortimes litres, and Les De- 
fenseurs de la Pairie be suppressed. Inform ISIr. (Tom) 
Paine that the police are aware that his conduct is not 
good; at the first complaint he will be sent to America, 
his own country. 

9th. (To General Berthier.) The Reserve army which 
you command is to establish harmony between the armies 
of the Rhine and of Italy in view of the operations that 
are about to take place. It is to be the centre of a grand 
line of which the right is at Genoa and the left on the 
Danube. 
; (To General Massena.) The army of the Rhine will 
open the campaign between the 10th and 20th of this 
month. As soon as this is done, General Lecourbe will be 
transferred to the command of General Berthier; he will 
cross the St. Gothard and descend into Italy. At the same 
moment part of the Reserve army will enter the Valais, 
and thence cross into Italy, either by the Simplon or by 
the St. Gothard. 

21st. (Proclamation to the youth of France.) Young 
Frenchmen: If you are burning to belong to an army 
that is intended to bring the wars of the Revolution to 
a close, by securing the independence, the liberty, and 
the glory of the great nation: to arms! to arms! Rush to 
Dijon! 



2E.T.30] A DIARY 127 

Generally speaking, the best way to praise me is to do 
all things that inspire the nation, the youth, the army, 
with heroic sentiments. 

24th. (To Carnot.) The army of Italy is in contact 
with the Austrian army. The Reserve army must not 
lose a single hour. Therefore pray order General Ber- 
thier to move the army as rapidly as possible to Geneva. 
I have nothing new by the semaphore from Bale to-day. 
Repeat the order to General Moreau to attack the en- 
emy. 

\ 25th. (To General Berthier.) Everything is going 
smoothly here, and the instant you think my presence nec- 
essary because of events either on the Rhine or in Italy, I 
can start one hour after receiving your letter. I regret to 
see that residing in Dijon makes you melancholy. Cheer 
up! 

27th. (To General Berthier.) My plan is no longer 
to cross the St. Gothard; I think that move possible and 
within the bounds of prudence only if General Moreau 
should win some success over the enemy. Besides, Milan 
may not be our objective after all, for we may have to 
hasten to Tortona to relieve Massena, who, if he has been 
defeated, has doubtless shut himself up in Genoa, where 
he has food for thirty days. We shall therefore have to 
cross by the St. Bernard. 

There is no greater coward than I when I am drawing 
up a plan of campaign. I magnify every danger, every dis- 
advantage that can be conceived. My nervousness is pain- 
ful ; not but that I show a cool face to those who are about 
me. I am like a woman in the throes of childbirth. When 



128 THE CORSICAN [isoo 

once my decision is made, however, I forget all, except 
what may carry it through to success. 

I love power; but I love it as an artist, as a musician 
loves his violin. I love to draw sounds from it, chords, 
harmony ! 

Midnight: 

I am waiting impatiently for news from the Rhine and 
from Italy. 

May 1st. (To Carnot.) Please send an intelligent staff 
or engineer officer to General Suchet and then on to 
General Massena. He will inform them that the Reserve 
army is in full march for the passes of the Alps, and will 
debouch in Piedmont on the 11th of May. 

2d. (To Bcrthier.) The enemy is far from suspecting 
your march. I have sure information that at Vienna 
and in Italy they are laughing at our Reserve army; they 
think August will be here before it is ready, and that it is 
merely a levy of conscripts to fill the ranks of the army 
of the Rhine. 

3d. (To the Presidents of the Tribunals of the De- 
partment of the Seine.) While France was torn by fac- 
tions, justice was badly administered, as was indeed inevi- 
table. For ten years have these conditions lasted; it is for 
you to bring them to an end. You are never to ask to 
what party the man who demands justice belongs; but 
you are to weigh the rights of all men with severe impar- 
tiality. It is for the army to secure peace with foreign 
countries; it is for Justice to secure peace between our citi- 
zens. You are appointed for life; no one has the right to 
remove you ; you are responsible for your judgments only 
to your conscience; you will be as impassive as the law. 



^T.30] A DIARY 129 

With laws that actually interfere with the action of jus- 
tice, I myself am compelled to prosecute disorders that 
affect the security of the state and to repress them arbi- 
trarily. 

Penal laws should read as though engraved on tables of 
marble, and should be as concise as the Decalogue. 

A law should always lay down a general principle; it 
would be futile to attempt to foresee all possible cases. 

4th. (To General Berthier.) I have just received your 
dispatch. The last news from Italy is that on the 23d 
Massena was at the bridge of Cornigliano; he is there- 
fore really blockaded in Genoa. It may happen: that 
Massena will capitulate and evacuate Genoa; (or that) 
Massena's positions at Genoa will be carried. In either 
case, you must see that General Melas can move from 
Genoa to Aosta in eight days, and if he reached there be- 
fore you could debouch with 20,000 men, the odds would 
be much in his favour in attempting to hold the passage 
into Italy. Therefore try to get General Chabran's (com- 
mand), together with a thousand cavalry, to Aosta by the 
10th of May, and the rest by the 12th and 13th. I leave 
to-morrow night, and will be at Genoa on the 18th. 

5th. (To Berthier.) I have just learned by sema- 
phore that Moreau has been engaged with the enemy at 
Stockach, that he has made 7000 prisoners, captured nine 
guns, and large magazines. All is going well. Massena's 
aide-de-camp has reached me; he assures me they have 
rations for twenty -five days. Order forced marching. 

(To Moreau.) I was starting for Geneva when the 
semaphore brought me news of your victory over the 
Austrians: glorious, and three times glorious! 



130 THE CORSICAN [1800 

The situation of the army of Italy is somewhat critical; 
Massena is cooped up in Genoa with rations that will last 
till the 25th or 26th. The army of Melas appears to be 
quite large. I greet you cordially. 

(To Massena.) The Reserve army is marching fast. 
I leave to-night. I count on you to hold out as long as 
you can, but at the least until the 30th. 

9th, Geneva: 

(To the Consuls of the Republic.) I reached here at 
midnight. The whole army is moving and in good order. 
I note with pleasure that Paris is calm. But in any case, 
I repeat, strike hard at any one, whoever he may be, 
who shows the first signs of wobbling. 

What I witnessed on my journey through France is 
indescribable. Had I not frequently changed my route 
I would have been another eight days getting here. 

11th. (To Saliceti.) Write to Malta by every ship, and 
give them news from Europe, insisting on the fact that 
France and Europe confidently expect them to hold their 
posts to the last mouthful of bread. 

12th, Lausanne: 

(To General Dupont.) Give orders that, beginning to- 
morrow, in eV'Cry demi-brigade the conscripts shall be 
made to fire a few shots, shall be shown with which eye to 
aim, and how to load a musket. 

13th. I have news from Massena up to the 30th. He 
was comi)letcly surrounded in Genoa, and fighting every 
day. 

14th. (To General Dosaix.) My dear Desaix: I re- 
ceive your letter this very nioinent. Here you are at last; 
splendid news for the whole Republic, but especially for 



MT.so] A DIARY 131 

me who hold you in the esteem due to men of your talent, 
and in a friendship which my heart, so old now and know- 
ing mankind but too well, feels for no one else. 

On my arrival in France I found the Republic lost; the 
Vendee was at the gates of Paris; the fleet instead of being 
at Toulon was at Brest, and dismantled; Brest was even 
threatened by the English, I have had to destroy the 
Vendee, find money, refit the fleet. But don't let us talk 
of those things; come and join me as quickly as you 
can. 

(To the Consuls of the Republic.) I wish you to have 
printed in the Journal Officiel that Generals Desaixand 
Davout have arrived at Toulon, with a few words added 
to the effect that these generals maintained, after my de- 
parture, the reputation they had won in the campaigns of 
Holland and the Rhine. 

15th. (To the Consuls.) The advance guard com- 
manded by General Lannes is at this moment crossing the 
St. Bernard. Hold back the news from the army for a few 
days; merely say that it is in full march. 

16th. (To Josephine.) I am just starting for St. 
Maurice, where I shall sleep. I have had no letters from 
you; that 's not nice; I write to you by every courier. A 
thousand tender things, my good little Josephine, for you 
and for yours. 
^ 17th, Martigny: 

I have just arrived at Martigny. I shall stay the night 
here in hopes of getting news of the capture of Fort Bard 
to-morrow morning, 

18th. We are struggling against ice, snow, storms, and 
avalanches. The St. Bernard, amazed at the sight of so 



132 THE CORSICAN [isoo 

great a multitude attemj)ting to pass so rapidly, places 
obstacles in our way. Not since Charlemagne has so large 
an army been seen here. A third of our fieldpieces are 
over. General Berthier is at Aosta. In three days the 
whole army will have crossed. 

19th. (To the Consuls.) I hear from General Suchet 
that the enemy are showing signs of being disturbed at 
the movement of the Reserve army, and that they have 
sent a detachment towards Berthier. I see that I am 
reported in the papers as waiting to my mother that I 
should be in Milan in a month. It doesn't sound like 
me. I often don't say what I know, but I never pro- 
phesy what will happen. I wish you to send a note to 
the Moniteur on this subject, written in a bantering tone. 

20th. On the St. Bernard: 

The St. Bernard was covered with snow, and the 
climb was very stiff. General Marmont, in command 
of the artillery, employed two methods. The first was 
to take a tree-trunk hollowed out like a trough in which 
the 8-pounders and howitzers were placed; a hundred 
men hitched to a cable dragged it, taking two days to 
cross the St. Bernard. In the worst j)laces the men 
were cheered on by the drums beating the charge, — a 
striking spectacle! The First Consul descended the St. 
Bernard sitting on the snow, crossing precipices and 
sliding over torrents by this means. 

24th, Aosta: 

On the lOlh, Melas was at Nice, still unsuspecting. 
Our artillery continues crossing the St. Bernard. Fort 
liard, at the mouth of the valley, makes the i)assage of 
the artillery very difficult. 



^T.30] A DIARY 133 

(To Joseph Bonaparte.) Please give 30,000 francs 
to my wife. We have dropped here hke a thunderbolt; 
the enemy didn't expect it, and hardly believe it yet. 

27th, Ivrea: 

I reached Ivrea last night. Everything is going as well 
as possible. I shall be back in Paris before the end of 
Prairial. 

29th. At Chivasso the First Consul reviewed the 
advance guard. He said to the 28th of the line: — You 
have spent two years on these mountains, often de- 
prived of everything, and you have always done your 
work without a murmur. That is a good soldier's first 
duty. — The First Consul ordered that, as a sign of his 
satisfaction with the good appearance of this demi-brigade 
it should be placed in the van at the next engagement. 
Two couriers have been intercepted, and it is clear that 
General Melas is still at Turin. The greater part of his 
army, which was tucked away at Nice, is making forced 
marches towards the Po. 

30th, Vercelli: 

I leave to-night for Novara. To-morrow I shall reach 
the banks of the Ticino to see how we can get across; the 
river is very large and swift. 

The advance guard remained at Chivasso the whole of 
the 29th. The enemy have moved all their available 
infantry from Turin along the right bank of the Po, op- 
posite Chivasso. In the meanwhile. General Murat was 
completing his bridge over the Sesia, crossed that river, 
reached Novara, and took up a position along the right 
bank of the Ticino. The inhabitants of Milan could hear 
the guns at our outposts to-day. 



134 THE CORSICAN [isoo 

June Ist, No vara: 

The First Consul arrived at the Ticino on the morning 
of the 31st. The enemy showed a considerable force of 
cavalry and a few guns on the left bank. General Murat 
got a battery in position, and a cannonade followed for 
an hour. After six hours' work we got nearly 1500 men 
and two guns over. 

Murat is now halfway to Milan, 

3d, Milan: 

General Murat reached Milan on the 2d. He immedi- 
ately surrounded the citadel. Three hours later the First 
Consul and his staff made their entry, surrounded by a 
crowd displaying the greatest enthusiasm. 

Night : 

Our movement has been so rapid that it was only 
twenty-four hours before our entry that the people of 
Milan knew the French were in Italy. 

4th. (To Talleyrand.) Please have a pamphlet printed 
with the following title: Letter of a patriotic member of the 
Germanic body on the policy of the House of Austria. The 
object is to show that Austria has always striven to en- 
large herself at the expense and to the detriment of the 
Empire. It would be a good thing to have this letter 
printed in German and to have it distributed broadcast 
in Germany. 

I see no objection to your sending some dresses to the 
Queen of Spain; you may spend about a thousand louis 
for this purpose. However, see that proprieties arc ob- 
served and that nothing ridiculous is done. 

(To General ncniadottc.) I will say nothing more, my 
dear General, than thai we are in Milan, that we have 



iET.30] A DIARY 135 

captured the enemy's train, 300 field and siege guns, all 
their hospitals and magazines. 

Moreau is holding his own near Ulm. 

Capture that rascal Georges dead or alive. If you ever 
catch him, have him shot within 24 hours. 

5th. (Speech to the priests of Milan.) It was my wish 
to meet you here so as to be able to inform you in person 
of my sentiments towards the Roman, Catholic and Apos- 
tolic faith. Convinced as I am that it is the only faith 
that can assure real happiness to a well-ordered society 
and strengthen the foundations of good government, I 
assure you that at all times and in every way I shall en- 
deavour to protect and defend it. Ministers of a religion 
which is also mine, I regard you as my dearest friends. 
My firm intention is that the Christian religion. Catholic 
and Roman, shall be maintained untouched. Now that 
power is in my hands I am resolved to put everything 
in operation to secure and guarantee the faith. Have no 
alarm because of the way in which the late Pope was 
treated : the misfortunes of Pius VI were partly due to 
the wretched intrigues of his advisers and partly to the 
cruel policy of the Directoire. When I am able to discuss 
matters with the new Pope I hope I shall be fortunate 
enough to remove every obstacle that may still remain in 
the way of a reconciliation between France and the head 
of the Church. 

6th. Our men are over the Po and hold the position of 
Stradella; the enemy's army is therefore cut off. 

7th. Most of the army will be concentrated by to- 
morrow. There is nothing Melas can do but to offer battle, 
and he has no retreat open save the fortresses of Alessan- 
dria and of Tortona. 



136 THE CORSICAN [1800 

8th. (To General Berthier.) General Murat has sent 
me some intercepted dispatches that give us interesting 
particulars. A letter from Melas to the Aulic Council of 
the 5th of June from Turin states that Massena capitu- 
lated on the 4th, It looks as though the enemy could not 
complete their concentration at Alessandria before the 
l'2th or 13th. Send detachments forward rapidly and 
crush everything you come across. The advance guard 
can move as far as Voghera. 

9th, (To Carnot.) I still fail to see how Mclas can get 
out of it: either he must attack us at Stradella, and be de- 
feated and destroyed; or he can attempt to get over the 
Po, the Sesia, and the Ticino, and will get no better result. 
His position is somewhat amusing, and if Genoa had 
held out only 72 hours more but little of his army would 
ever have got away. 

I start in an hour to cross the Po on my way to Stra- 
della. 

10th, Stradella: 

General Ott got from Genoa to Voghera in three forced 
marches with 15,000 of the besieging troops. He was rein- 
forced by 4000 or 5000 men detached by General Melas 
to guard the Po. The advance guards of the two armies 
met about noon. The enemy held the heights in front of 
Castcggio. Determined fighting took place and lasted all 
day. The OOth decided tlie long uncertain result with a 
bayonet charge. The enemy left 3000 killed and wounded, 
GOOO prisoners, and 5 guns on the field. Their rout was 
complete. 

14th. Baffle of Marengo. 

15th. Torre dei Garofloli: 



^T.SO] A DIARY 137 

(To the Consuls of the Republic.) All the news from the 
army is very good. I shall be in Paris soon. I can write no 
more, I am prostrated by the death of the man whom I 
most loved and esteemed. 

(Bulletin.) After the battle of Montebello the army 
marched to cross the Scriva. The enemy appeared to 
have no plan and was making uncertain movements. 

On the 14th at daybreak the enemy crossed the Bor- 
mida on three bridges, determined to cut their way 
through ; they debouched in force, surprised our advance 
guard, and briskly opened the celebrated battle of Ma- 
rengo which has at last decided the fate of Italy and of the 
Austrian army. 

Four times during the battle we were falling back, and 
four times we were moving forward. At different moments 
and at one point and another, more than sixty guns were 
captured and recaptured. More than twelve charges of 
cavalry were delivered, with varied success. ; 

At 3 in the afternoon 10,000 cavalry outflanked our 
right in the splendid plain of San Giulano. They were 
supported by a line of infantry and many guns. The gren- 
adiers of the Guard stood like a granite redoubt in the 
midst of this immense plain; nothing could shake them. 

This desperate resistance contained the enemy's left, 
and supported our right until General Mounier got up, 
and carried the village of Castel Ceriolo at the point of the 
bayonet. The enemy's cavalry now made a rapid move- 
ment on our left, which was already shaken; this attack 
hastened our retreat. 

The enemy were advancing along the whole line, pour- 
ing grape from a hundred guns. The roads were packed 



138 THE CORSICAN [isoo 

with fugitives and wounded: the battle appeared to be 
lost. The enemy were allowed to continue their advance 
as far as the village of San Giulano, where Desaix' division 
had been deployed, with eight fieldpieces on its front, and 
two battalions thrown back and in column on the wings. 
All the fugitives were rallying behind. The enemy were 
already making mistakes that presaged their catastrophe, 
they were extending their wings too much. The jiresence 
of the First Consul was restoring the morale of the troops : 
— My lads, he called out, remember that my habit is to 
sleep on the battlefield ! — 

With shouts of Vive la Republique! Vive le Premier 
Consul ! Desaix moved forward by his centre at the charge. 
In a moment the enemy's line was broken. General Keller- 
mann, who, with his brigade of heavy cavalry', had been 
protecting the retirement of our left wing all day, charged 
at just the right moment, and so hard that 6000 grena- 
diers, with General Zach, chief of staff, were made prison- 
ers, while several generals were killed. 

The whole army followed up this attack. The enemy's 
right was cut off; surprise and panic seized their ranks. 
The Austrian cavalry moved to the centre to protect their 
retreat. Brigadier-General Bessieres, at the head of the 
Cassecous and the grenadiers of the Guard, bravely and 
promptly charged them and broke through them, which 
completed the rout of their army. 

We have captured 15 flags, 40 guns, and COOO or 8000 
prisoners. More than GOOO of the enemy remained on the 
battlefield. General Berthier had his clothes full of bullets 
and .several of his staff were unhorsed. But a grave lo.ss 
for the army, and for the whole Republic takes all rejoic- 



^T.30J A DIARY 139 

ing from our hearts : Desaix was struck by a bullet just as 
his division went into action ; he was killed on the spot. 
He lived just long enough to say to young Lebrun who was 
near him: " Go tell the First Consul that I die regretting 
I have not lived long enough to be known to posterity! " 
He had joined headquarters only three days before; he 
was ardent for the fray, and the day before he had several 
times repeated to the officers of his staff: "It is long since 
I fought in Europe, The bullets will have forgotten me; 
something will happen." When, in the midst of heavy 
firing, the news of Desaix' death was brought to the First 
Consul, he merely said: "Why may I not weep ?" — His 
body has been removed to Milan for embalming. 

Little Kellermann made a very lucky charge; it was in 
the nick of time; we owe him a lot. To think that great 
events turn on such things ! 

(To Kellermann.) Your charge was pretty good! 

16th, Marengo: 

(To the Consuls.) The day following the battle of 
Marengo General Melas sent a request to our outposts 
that he might send General Skal to confer with me, and in 
the course of the day the inclosed convention was agreed 
on, and was signed in the night by General Berthier and 
General Melas. I hope the French people will be pleased 
with its army. I shall be at Milan to-night. 

(To His Majesty the Emperor and King.) I have the 
honour of writing to Your Majesty to communicate the 
wish of the French people to bring to an end the war that 
desolates our countries. It is on the battlefield of Marengo, 
in the midst of suffering and surrounded by 15,000 corpses. 



140 THE CORSICAN [isoo 

that I beg Your Majesty to listen to the cry of suffering. 
It is for me to urge Your Majesty, as I am nearer the field 
of conflict. The arms of Your Majesty have earned enough 
glory, and control enough territory. What reasons can 
Your Majesty's ministers allege for continuing hostilities ? 

I think it my duty to propose to Your Majesty : that the 
armistice be extended to all the armies; and that negotia- 
tors be instructed on both sides. 

17th, Milan: 

I have just reached Milan, somewhat fatigued. 

Some Hungarian grenadiers and German prisoners pass- 
ing by, who had already been prisoners in the campaigns 
of 1796 and 1797, recognized the First Consul. Many 
began to shout, with apparent enthusiasm : "Vive Bona- 
parte!" 

What a thing is imagination! Here are men who don't 
know me, who have never seen me, but who only knew of 
me, and they are moved by my presence, they would do 
anything for me! And this same incident arises in all cen- 
turies and in all countries ! Such is fanaticism ! Yes, imag- 
ination rules the world. The defect of our modern institu- 
tions is that they do not speak to the imagination. By 
that alone can man be governed; without it he is but a 
brute. 

18th. To-day, whatever our Paris atheists may say, I 
am going in fnll stale to the Te Deum that is to be sung in 
the Cathedral of Milan. 

An imposing and splendid ceremony! 



iET.30] A DIARY 141 

21st. (To the Consuls.) I have sent a courier to the 
Emperor, with a letter which the Minister of Foreign Af- 
fairs will transmit to you. You may think it rather in- 
formal in style, but it was written on a battlefield. Part 
of the Guard started for Paris to-day with the flags cap- 
tured at Marengo. Their route is arranged so that they 
shall reach Paris on the 14th of July. You must work at 
making the celebration a brilliant one, and don't ape pre- 
vious ones. Fireworks would be effective. Chariot races 
are all right for Greece, where chariots were implements 
of war; with us they mean nothing. 

25th. I am starting for Paris. 

26th, Turin: 

The Reserve army and the army of Italy are united as 
the army of Italy. General Massena will be commander- 
in-chief. 

29th, Lyons: 

I have reached Lyons. I am stopping to lay the corner- 
stone of the place Bellecour, which is being rebuilt. I am 
told that we may hope to have it finished in two years. I 
hope that before then the trade of this great city, once the 
pride of Europe, will have recovered its prosperity. 

I shall arrive in Paris unexpectedly. I wish no triumphal 
arches, no ceremonies. I have too good an opinion of 
myself to put any value on such flim-flam. The only real 
triumph is the satisfaction of the public. ; 

July 2d, Paris, the Tuileries: 

Well, citizens, here we are. Come, have you been hard 
at work since I left.'' 

(Not as hard as you, general!) 



142 THE CORSICAN [I8OO 

I only gain battles, but Josephine by her sweetness, wins 
every heart. — Josephine the most amiable and the best 
of women ! — 

4th, I! a royal maggot! I am a soldier, I come from the 
people, I have made myself! Am I to be compared with 
Louis XVI ? I listen to everybody, but my own mind is 
my only counsellor. There are some men who have done 
France more harm than the wildest revolutionaries, — 
the talkers, and the rationalists. Vague and false thinkers, 
a few lessons of geometry would do them good ! 

My policy is to govern men as the great number wish to 
be governed. That, I think, is the way to recognise the 
sovereignty of the people. 

14th. To the 14th of July! To the French people, the 
sovereign of us all! 

24th. (To His Majesty the Emperor.) I have received 
the letter which Your Majesty has sent me by Count St. 
Julien. The peace preliminaries it contains will soon, I 
hope, be followed by a final peace. 

25th. When a Frenchman has to choose between a po- 
liceman and the devil, he is for the devil, but when it is 
between the devil and fashion, he follows fashion, and pro- 
viding the government does well, all that it does will be in 
the fashion. 

28th. At Marengo Desaix had a presentiment of his 
death. I could sec that he was gloomy, and as at the crisis 
there was inucli anxiety, I got off my horse and said to 
him, let us sit down here for a moment on the grass to 
show our confidence. It was at that moment that Desaix 
said to me, — the l)ullets don't recognise me now. 

30th. Well, Junot, so you were fool enough to get caught 



iET. 30] A DIARY 143 

by those . . . English. What do you want to do ? Shall 
I send you to the army of the Rhine ? You need to put on 
another ten years. 

The impact of an army, like the total of mechanical co- 
eflScients, is equal to the mass multiplied by the velocity. 

A battle is a dramatic action which has its beginning, 
its middle, and its conclusion. The result of a battle de- 
pends on the instantaneous flash of an idea. When you 
are about to give battle concentrate all your strength, 
neglect nothing ; a battalion often decides the day. 

In warfare every opportunity must be seized; for for- 
tune is a woman : if you miss her to-day, you need not 
expect to find her to-morrow. 

There is nothing in the military profession I cannot do 
for myself. If there is no one to make gunpowder, I 
know how to make it; gun carriages, I know how to 
construct them; if it is founding a cannon, I know that; 
or if the details of tactics must be taught, I can teach 
them. 

The presence of a general is necessary: he is the head, 
he is the all in all of an army. It was not the Roman army 
conquered Gaul, but Csesar; it was not the Carthaginians 
made the armies of the Republic tremble at the very gates 
of Rome, but Hannibal; it was not the Macedonian army 
marched to the Indus, but Alexander; it was not the 
French army that carried war to the Weser and to the Inn, 
but Turenne; it was not the Prussian army that defended 
Prussia during seven years against the three strongest 
Powers of Europe, but Frederick the Great. 

Concentration of forces, activity, activity with the 



144 THE CORSICAN [isoo 

firm resolve to die gloriously: these are the three great 
principles of the military art that have always made for- 
tune favourable in all my operations. Death is nothing; 
but to live defeated and ingloriously, is to die every 
day. 

I am a soldier, because that is the special faculty I was 
born with; that is my life, my habit. I have commanded 
wherever I have been. I commanded, when twenty-three 
years old, at the siege of Toulon; I commanded in Paris 
at Vendemiaire; I carried the soldiers of the army of Italy 
with me as soon as I appeared among them; I was born 
that way. 

August 12th. (Decree.) The Minister of Justice will 
call together at the ministry citoyens Tronchet, Bigot de 
Preameneu, and Portalis, to confer on the draft of the 
Civil Code. 

13th. Wealth cannot confer a privilege. I have no in- 
tention of preaching collectivism; I am speaking between 
ourselves; I even want to have rich men, for that is the 
only way of supporting the poor; but I cannot admit that 
wealth is entitled to social or political distinction. 

How can a state be well governed without the aid of 
religion ? Society cannot exist save with inequality of for- 
tune, and inequality of fortune cannot be supported with- 
out religion. When a man dies of hunger by the side of 
another who is gorged, he cannot accept that disparity 
without some authority that shall say to him: "God has 
decreed it thus: there must be rich and poor in the world; 
but in the hereafter, and for all eternity, it will be the other 
way about." 

It was by becoming a Catholic that I pacified the Von- 



^T.3i] A DIARY 145 

dee, and a Mussulman that I established myself in Egypt; 
it was by becoming ultramontane that I won over public 
opinion in Italy. If I ruled a people of Jews, I would re- 
build the temple of Solomon! Paradise is a central spot 
whither the souls of men proceed along different roads; 
every sect has a road of its own. 

Se'piember 6th. A monument shall be erected to the 
memory of Generals Desaix and Kleber, who died on 
the same day, at the same moment : one in Europe, at the 
battle of Marengo, which reconquered Italy for the Re- 
public; the other in Africa, after the battle of Heliopolis, 
which reconquered Egypt for France. 

7th. The King is at Mittau; let him stay there! 

(To the Comte de Provence (Louis XVIIl).) I have 
received your letter, sir, and I thank you for the polite 
expressions it contains. You must give up all hope of re- 
turning to France; you would have to step over 100,000 
dead bodies. Sacrifice your personal interest to the peace 
and happiness of France. History will remember you for 
it. I am not unmindful of the misfortunes of your family. 
I would be glad to contribute to the comfort and security 
of your retirement. 

My poor Cambaceres, I can't help it, but your case is 
clear; if ever the Bourbons return, you will be hanged! 

10th. (To Lucien Bonaparte, Minister of the Interior.) 
Please send me a list of our ten best painters, of our ten 
best sculptors, of our ten best composers, of our ten best 
musicians, of our ten best architects, and the names of any 
artists in other lines who deserve public recognition. 

23d. The Government notifies the King of England 



146 THE CORSICAN [I800 

that it would raise no objection to admit his envoys to the 
Congress of Luneville, on the basis of a truce at sea. ' 

October 17th. To govern France, after ten such ex- 
traordinary years, is no easy task! 

November 22d. (To Savary.') Kindly start for Brest to- 
morrow. You will take with you citoyen Jerome Bona- 
parte, whom you will put on board Admiral Ganteaume. 
Stay there until that rear-admiral has made sail and is out 
of sight. 

(To Rear-Admiral Ganteaume.) I am sending you cito- 
yen Jerome Bonaparte, to serve his apprenticeship at sea. 
You know that he needs a firm hand, and has lost time 
to make up. Insist on his carrying out every one of the 
duties of the profession he has entered. 

December 1st. If I die four or five years hence, the ma- 
chine will be in order, it will run. If I die before then, I 
don't know what vcould happen. 

(Devaismes: We should make some general First Con- 
sul.) 

You don't want a general in that })osition ; you want a 
civilian. The army will obey a civilian better than it will 
a soldier. If three or four years from now I were dying in 
my bed, of a fever, and if to crown my romance I were to 
make my will, I would warn the nation against a military 
government; I would tell it to choose a civilian for its first 
magistrate. 

9th. Order salutes of all the artillery in the shore bat- 
teries and ships at Calais and Boulogne to announce the 
victory of Ilohonlindcn. 

24th. I had been greatly occupied with business all day, 
and in the evening was sleepy and tired. I threw mj'self 



^T. 31] A DIARY 147 

on a sofa in my wife's salon, and fell asleep. Josephine 
came down some time after, awoke me, and insisted that 
I should go to the theatre. You know that when women 
take a thing into their heads, they will go through with it, 
and you must gratify them. Well I got up much against 
my inclination, and went in my carriage, accompanied by 
Lannes and Bessieres. I was so drowsy that I fell asleep 
in the coach. I was asleep when the explosion took place; 
and I recollect when I woke experiencing a sensation as if 
the vehicle had been raised up, and was passing through a 
great body of water. The contrivers of this were a man 
named St. Regent, Imolan, and some others. They got a 
cart and barrel resembling that with which water is sup- 
plied through the streets of Paris, with this exception, that 
the barrel was put crossways. This he had filled with gun- 
powder, and placed it nearly in the turning of the street 
through which I was to pass. Possibly my coachman 
may have assisted by driving furiously round the corner, 
as he was drunk and not afraid of anything. He was so 
far gone that he thought the report of the explosion was 
that of a salute fired in honour of my visit to the theatre. 

25th. They want to attack the Revolution by destroy- 
ing me; I will defend it because I am the Revolution! 

31st. (General, you are taking longer over your meals ! ) 
Already ! — The corruption of power ! 



1801 

January 2d, Paris: 

Moreau is not more than jB ve days* march from Vienna, 
and in control of all the magazines of the enemy. 

M. de Cobenzl, the Emperor's plenipotentiary at Lune- 
ville, has declared, in a note dated the 31st of December, 
that he was prepared to negotiate a separate peace. 
Austria is thus free from the influence of the English Gov- 
ernment. 

9th. (To General Moreau.) I need not express ho 
much interest I have taken in your skilful and beautiiii^ 
manoeuvres; you have surpassed yourself this campaign. 
The wretched Austrians are very obstinate; they were 
counting on the ice and snow; they don't really knowj'^ou 
yet. 

13th. (To Forfait.) Citoyen Minisire : Kindly draw me 
up a report on Madagascar. Pray order Vice-Admiral 
Bruix to The Hague. His special business will be to con- 
cert measures with the Dutch Minister of the Navy for 
the expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. 

15th. The great thing is to support (the army in) Egypt. 

19th. (To Talleyrand.) Please prepare the draft of a 
treaty with Switzerland, so as to obtain the session of the 
Valais up to Brieg. 

21st. A courier arrived from Russia yesterday, who had 
done the journey in fifteen days; he brought me a very 
friendly letter in the Emperor's own hand. Russia is in- 
clined to be hostile to England. 



iET.31] A DIARY 149 

(To Forfait.) I inclose your report on Madagascar; I 
find it insufficient. 

25th. Are you rich, Maret? 

(No, general.) 

So much the worse for you, a man ought to be independ- 
ent. 

(General, I wish never to be dependent on any one but 
you.) 

Hem ! — Not so bad ! 

Maret is a good fellow, he's no fool; he answered me 
cleverly. 

February 10th, St. Quentin: 

I arrived at St. Quentin yesterday, at four in the after- 
noon. I was on horseback all the morning inspecting the 
canal. The weather is cold, and there has been much snow. 
All I have seen of the plans and the preliminary works of 
the St. Quentin canal appears satisfactory. I went down 
the stairway into the tunnel. The manufactures of the 
city, which formerly gave employment to 70,000 work- 
people and brought fifteen millions of money into France, 
have gone down five sixths. The hope of restoring one of 
our most important and exclusive manufactures, and of 
giving a livelihood to so many French families, is just the 
thing to bring cambric into fashion again. 

13th, Paris: 

Peace has been signed for the continent at Luneville; 
its terms are such as the French people desired. 

By our secret treaty with Spain, she is to give us six 
men-of-war, 

25th. General Murat is sending a division of 10,000 



150 THE CORSICAN [isoi 

men to occupy Taranto, Brindisi, and all the smaller 
ports of the peninsula beyond the line Taranto Brindisi. 

27th. (To the Emperor of Russia.) The pride and ar- 
rogance of the English are unparalleled. I Mill bring 
together, as Your Majesty appears to wish, 300 or 400 
gunboats in the ports of Flanders, where I will collect an 
army. I have given orders for concentrating an army 
in Brittany that can be put on board ship at Brest. 

The English have attempted to land in Egypt. The 
interest of all the Mediterranean and Black Sea Powers is 
that Egj'pt should remain in the possession of France. 
The Suez canal, which would join the Indian Ocean to the 
Mediterranean is already surveyed; the work is easy 
and will not take long, it will confer incalculable bene- 
fits on Russian commerce. 

March 1st. Lafa.yctte is an obstinate political mono- 
maniac; he cannot understand me; I regret it, because he 
is an honest man. I wanted to make him Senator; he re- 
fused. Let him go his own way then, I can get on without 
him. 

4th. There shall be held in Paris, each year, an exhibi- 
tion of the products of French industry. 

20th. Do you know w^hy I allow such free discussion 
in the Council of State? It's because I 'm the best of them 
all in an argument. I let them attack me because I know 
how to defend myself. 

I am a doctor of laws ! 

(To aTribunc.) Why don't you come and discuss things 
with me in my study ? We might have little fireside con- 
versations. 

21st. If the minutes of the Council of State are well 



iET.31] A DIARY 151 

drafted, they will constitute a document worthy of pos- 
terity. If we turn over the minutes of the reign of Louis 
XVI, we find only chatter. The little slips our jurists 
make must not appear in ours, for during protracted ses- 
sions inattention may occur at times. As for me, a man 
of the sword and of finance, not a jurist but a legisla- 
tor, my opinions matter little. In an argument I may say 
things that fifteen minutes later I disapprove; but I do 
not wish to be made to appear any better than I am. 

The woman owes obedience to her husband. The civil 
magistrate should have a formula covering the woman's 
oath of obedience and faithfulness. She must be instructed 
that on passing out of the care of her family she enters 
under that of her husband. The civil magistrate celebrates 
marriage without any solemnity, which is too arid. There 
should be some moral appeal; — look at the priests. 

(A Councillor of State : Did the old laws prescribe obe- 
dience ?) 

The angel declared it to Adam and Eve. In the mar- 
riage ceremony it was said in Latin, so the woman under- 
stood nothing. But the word is well suited to Paris, where 
the women think they can do what they like. I don't say 
that it will have any effect on all of them, but it will on 
some. 

(To Portalis.) If you were in power, you would permit 
no divorce, for it comes to the same thing to make it so 
degrading to apply for it that none but a man with a 
brazen face would do so. That's your scheme, isn't it? 

(Portalis : If we were dealing with a brand new people I 
would not admit divorce.) 



152 THE CORSICAN [isoi 

If the marriage is unhappy, should not the civil law, 
which has no cognizance of the lofty sacramental theory, 
provide for the happiness of the individuals ? 

(Portalis: Man is sociable, and marriage is in nature.) 

1 deny that! Marriage does not derive from nature, but 
from society and from morality. I do not accept the opin- 
ion that the family proceeds from civil law, and civil law 
from the law of nature. 

Divorce was bound to come into our legislation, freedom 
of religion implied it; but it would be a great misfortune if 
it became a national habit. What becomes of the family 
when it is broken asunder ? What are husbands and wives 
who, after having lived in the closest union that nature 
and law can tie, suddenly become strangers, yet unable to 
forget one another ? What are children without a father, 
who cannot join in the same embrace their disunited 
parents ? Ah ! let us do nothing to encourage divorce ! Of 
all social habits it would be the most fatal. Let us not 
brand with shame the man who demands it; but let us 
rather pity him as the victim of a great misfortune. And 
custom must frown down the sad resource which the law 
cannot refuse to the unfortunate. 

2 A.M. 

Come, come, citoycns, wake up; it's only two o'clock; 
wc must earn the money the French people pay us! 

March 22d. (To General Murat.) Should the negotia- 
tions drag, enter the Neapolitan state, place your lund- 
quartors at A(juila, and raise all obstacles. If on your 
arrival the King (Iccliiies to accei)t the moderate terms 
proposed by citoyeii Akiuicr, march on Naples. 

April l',Mli. 'rii(> I'lmpi-ror of Itiissia diet! on the iii^ht 



iET. 31-32] A DIARY 153 

of the 24th or 25th of March of an attack of apoplexy. 
The lively sorrow I feel at the death of a prince whom I 
valued so highly prevents my entering into details. His 
eldest son has succeeded and has been recognised by the 
army and the capital. 

26th. (To the Emperor of Russia.) M. de Kalitchy 
has handed us the letter in which Your Majesty announces 
his accession to the throne of all the Russias and the death 
of his father. We have been profoundly affected by the un- 
expected loss which Your Majesty has suffered. Our only 
consolation is in learning the accession of Your Majesty 
to the Empire. 

July 10th. (To Talleyrand.) I have read the note of 
General the Prince of Peace; it is so ridiculous that it is 
not worth a serious answer. But if this Prince, paid by 
England, should persuade the King and Queen into steps 
contrary to the dignity and interests of the Republic, the 
last hour of the Spanish monarchy has rung. 

20th. (To Joseph Bonaparte.) Please continue your 
negotiations with Cardinal Consalvi and your other col- 
leagues. I would like the bull to be published in France 
as soon as possible, so that I can make nominations to the 
archbishoprics and bishoprics at once. I would like it if we 
could publish the bull in Paris on the 15th of August. 

August 6th. (To Fouche.) The First Consul wants you 
to inform the journalists, political and literary, that they 
must abstain from discussing religion, its priests and cere- 
monies. 

16th. (To Jerome Bonaparte.) I learn with pleasure 
that you are becoming accustomed to the sea; there only 
can the greatest glory be won. 



154 THE CORSICAN [isoi 

25th. (To the men of the 1st Artillery.) Soldiers, your 
conduct in the citadel of Turin is known throughout 
Europe. You forced your way into a fortress in a disor- 
derly and tumultuous manner, disregarding the French 
flag which floated there. You killed the brave oflBcer whose 
duty it was to defend it. You passed over his body. You 
are all guilty! The officers who failed to keep you under 
control are unfit to command you. The flag which you 
have deserted, to which you refused to rally, will be placed 
in the temple of Mars and hung with crape. Your regiment 
is disbanded! 

30th. Cardinal Caprara is coming to Paris as papal 
legate. 

October 6th. (To Talleyrand.) I inclose the ratifications 
of the peace preliminaries signed at London on the 1st, 
and of the secret clause. 

10th. (To His Holiness the Pope.) I have received 
Cardinal Caprara, Your Holiness' legate, with great plea- 
sure. Peace has been signed with England, Portugal, 
Russia, and the Porte. I hasten to send this information, 
well knowing the interest Your Holiness takes in the hap- 
piness and peace of nations. 

(To the Emperor of Russia.) In the peace preliminaries 
happily signed between France and England it is provided 
that Malta shall be restored to the Order under the protec- 
tion of a great Power. Will Your Majesty let me know 
your views relatively to the island and to the Order of 
Malta, of which your august father was recognised as 
Grand Master. 

Dcrcmher 1st. (To Lucien Bonaparte.) I can't in the 
least make out the conduct of the Cabinet of Madriti. 



iET.32l A DIARY 155 

Please express to Their Majesties my extreme dissatisfac- 
tion with the wrongful and illogical action of the Prince of 
Peace. During these six months past this minister has not 
spared us insulting notes and rash steps; all that could be 
done against France, he has done; speak out and tell the 
Queen and the Prince of Peace that if things go on this 
way the end will come like a thunderbolt. 



1802 

January 7th, Paris: 
' (To Joseph Bonaparte.) To-morrow, at midnight, I 
start for Lyons. I think General Bernadotte has gone to 
Amiens. Whether he has or not, I want him to tell you if 
it would suit him to go to Guadeloupe as captain-general. 

13th, Lyons: 

I took sixty-nine hours to get to Lyons ; from Lyons to 
Paris everything is covered with snow. I arrived at nine 
o'clock at night, and have every reason to be satisfied with 
the marks of attachment that the people of Lj'^ons are 
giving me, and of the activity I find in their workshops, 
and in their minds, to restore the prosperity of the chief 
manufacturing city of the Republic. 

14th. The cold here is excessive. I am spending my 
mornings, from six till twelve, receiving the prefects and 
■^tables of the neighbouring departments. In confer- 
ences of this sort one has to talk at length. To-night the 
City gives a concert and a ball; I am starting in an hour. 

My satisfaction with all I see of the people of Lyons 
and of southern France continues. 

16th. It is very fine but very cold. The internal im- 
provement of the Republic is very apparent since two 
years ago. Lyons must have increased its population by 
20,000 people in 1800 and 1801. All the manufacturers 
of St. Eticnnc and of Annonay with whom I talked re- 
ported that their works were in full swing. On the 18tli 
I shall review six demi-brigades of the army of the West. 



iET.32] A DIARY 157 

18th. (To the Consul Cambaceres.) Your letter of the 
15th has posted me on the debates in the Senate. I trust 
that you will not fail to have the twenty and sixty unde- 
sirable members in our constitutional bodies promptly 
removed. JThe will of the Nation is that this Government 
shall not be hindered in its beneficent work, and that the 
Head of Medusa shall not be permitted to appear again in 
our assemblies. The conduct of Sieyes at this juncture 
shows conclusively that after taking a hand in the destruc- 
tion of every constitution since 1791, he wants to have 
a go at this one. It is very curious that he can't see the 
folly of it. He ought to be glad to burn a candle at Notre 
Dame for having so happily and unexpectedly come 
through. But the older I get the more clearly I perceive 
that a man must accomplish his destiny! 

The cold is less intense. 

21st. I went for an hour to the ball given to my wife by 
the Commerce (of Lyons) ; it was very fine. 

25th. Held a parade to-day, j)lace Bellecour. The 
weather was splendid, the sun as in Floreal. The gen- 
erals who were in Lyons thought it proper to give a grand 
ball to-night, for my wife; I shall look in for half an hour. 

February 19th, Paris: 

If by ill luck peace should not be maintained, what 
could be undertaken? 

(To Fouche.) As the reestablishment of peace with the 
Powers gives me time to pay special attention to the po- 
lice, I want to be posted in the smallest details, and to 
work with you at least once, sometimes twice a day, when 
necessary. The most convenient hours for me are in the 
morning at eleven and at night at eleven. 



158 THE CORSICAN [1802 

April 9th. (To Portalis.) The intention of the First 
Consul is to present each archbishop and bishop, at his 
consecration, with a cross, a crozier, and a mitre. You will 
therefore arrange to have these articles ready in time, and 
bought as cheaply as possible. 

12th. Note the insolence of the priests who, in the divi- 
sion of authority with what they call the temporal power, 
reserve for themselves the dominion of the mind, of the 
noble part of man, and have the pretension of leaving me 
dominion over the body. They keep the soul and throw 
me the carcase! 

There will be no stable political conditions until we have 
a teaching body acting on fixed principles. So long as men 
are not taught from childhood whether to be republican 
or monarchist, Catholic or freethinking, the state will 
not be a nation. 

May 4th. In every country force bows to the civilian 
virtues. The bayonets fall before the priest who speaks 
in the name of religion, and before the man of science. I 
foretold that a military government would never take in 
France unless the nation were degraded by fifty years of 
ignorance. Every attempt would fail, and their authors 
would be the first victims. It is not as a general that I 
govern, but because the nation believes that I have civil- 
ian qualities that make me fit for governing, otherwise the 
government could not maintain itself. I knew what I was 
about when, as a general, I assumed the title of Member 
of the Institute; my meaning was clear even to the last 
drummer of the army. 

We cannot arg\ie on the analogy of the dark ages. We 
are thirty millions of men held together by enlightenment. 



iET.32] A DIARY 159 

property, and commerce; three or four hundred thousand 
soldiers are nothing in such a mass. The soldiers them- 
selves are the children of the citizens. The army is the 
nation. 

The distinctive mark of the soldier is that all his desires 
are despotic; that of the civilian is that he submits every- 
thing to discussion, to truth, to reason. 

7th. The bishops who have not yet taken the oath will 
take it Sunday next in the chapel of the First Consul. 
This chapel shall be arranged in the First Consul's study. 
The Archbishop of Paris will consecrate it at ten; at eleven 
he will say mass. The bishops will take the oath after the 
gospel has been read. 

9th. The Consulate renewed for ten years. 

Senators: The testimonial of your esteem contained in 
your debate of the 8th will remain forever engraved in my 
heart. My reputation and my happiness would seem to 
have marked as the term of my public life a moment 
when the peace of the world has been attained. But the 
glory and the interests of the private citizen must be sub- 
dued when the interest of the State and the good opinion 
of the public call on him. You have decided that I owe a 
new sacrifice to the people; I will make it. 

12th, Saint Cloud: 

Gobain, a grenadier, has committed suicide because of 
a love affair; he was, however, a good soldier. This is the 
second incident of this nature in the regiment within a 
month. The First Consul directs that there shall be in- 
serted in the Guard's orders: 

That a soldier must overcome grief and the melancholy 
of love; that there is as much courage in supporting with 



160 THE CORSICAN [1802 

firmness the afflictions of the soul as there is in standing 
steady under the grape of a battery of guns. To give one's 
self up to grief without resistance, to kill one's self to 
escape it, is to abandon the battlefield defeated. 

14th, Paris: 

By virtue of clause 87 of the Constitution concerning 
military rewards, and to recompense distinction and ser- 
vice among civilians, a Legion of Honour shall be insti- 
tuted. 

Where is the republic, ancient or modern, that has not 
granted honours ? Call them trifles if you like, but it is by 
trifles that men are influenced. I would not utter such a 
sentiment as this in public, but here, among statesmen 
and thinkers, things should be spoken of as they are. In 
my opinion the French do not care for liberty and equal- 
ity; they have but one sentiment, that of honour. There- 
fore that sentiment must be gratified; they must be given 
distinctions. Do you suppose you can persuade men to 
fight by a process of analysis? Never; that process is valid 
only for the man of science in his study. The soldier de- 
mands glory, distinction, rewards. 

August 6th. The Minister of the Interior is directed, 
apart from the Simplon, to build roads over the Mont 
Cenis, and the Mont Genevre, and to improve the one 
over the Pass of Tenda. 

(To Jerome.) I have received your letter, Mr. Mid- 
shipman. I am anxious to hear that j'ou are aboard your 
corvette, on the high seas, which you nuist make your 
road to glory. 1 am willing you should die young, but not 
if you live ingloriously, useless to your country, without 



^T. 32-33] A DIARY 161 

leaving a trace of your existence, for that is not to have 
lived. 

7th. We must bear in mind to help the trade of Nice; 
for instance, Piedmont can get its sugar, coffee, and other 
colonial produce through Nice, and in the same way soap 
and every other article that Marseilles and our manu- 
factories can supply. 

(To Talleyrand.) Let me know within twenty-four 
hours of its reception the contents of every dispatch from 
an ambassador or minister plenipotentiary. At the time 
I was opening the bag of the ministry of foreign affairs I 
realized that you received official reports on matters that 
I have often tried to get knowledge of by indirect means. 

13th. (To Fouche.) Keep all EngHsh papers out of 
France, and in particular prevent their circulating 
public places and reading-rooms. 

15th. (To Talleyrand.) Citoyen Lannes, Minister of 
the Republic at Lisbon, was wrong in leaving that city. 
He has broken every rule, every form, failed in the first 
duty of a public official, which is not to leave his post 
without the positive order of his Government. The 
French Minister has been rude to the Court of Lisbon by 
employing dictatorial manners, and by going away 
without leave. He must be recalled. 

October 18th, Saint Cloud: 

Secret instructions for the Ambassador at Constanti- 
nople: 

The intentions of the Government are that the Am- 
bassador at Constantinople should regain, by all possi- 
ble means, the supremacy that France enjoyed in that 
capital during 200 years. The Ambassador has the finest 



162 THE CORSICAN [1802 

Embassy. He must constantly keep on a higher level 
than the ambassadors of other nations, be surrounded by 
a numerous suite, and be seen in public only with great 
display. 

Our trade piust be protected in every way. \Mienever 
public attention is drawn to the French Ambassador, care 
must be taken never to shock local customs and manners, 
but it must be shown, on the contrary, that we respect 
them. 

Lastly, the Ambassador is expected to secure precise 
information for the ministers on the various pashaliks. 
We must even get posted about Persia. 

22d. The vicar of St. Roch, in a moment of bad judg- 
ment, has declined to hold a service for Mile. Chameroi, 
or even to open his church for her (funeral). The Arch- 
bishop of Paris has ordered the vicar of St. Roch into re- 
tirement for three months so that he may be reminded 
that Jesus Christ commanded that we should pray even 
for our enemies, and so that meditation may recall him to 
a sense of his duties and that he may realize that all the 
superstitious practices that degraded religion by their 
stupidity have been proscribed by the Concordat and by 
the law of the 18th of Germinal. 

The priests are no longer to be feared in our time; they 
lost all their power on the day when their supremacy in 
science passed to the layman. 

Every two years there shall be executed for and at the 
expense of the Government four historical pictures and 
two statues. The pictures shall measure five metres by 



^T.33] A DIARY 163 

four, and shall be purchased for 10,000 francs. The stat- 
ues shall be two metres high, and shall be purchased for 
15,000 francs. The Government will supply the marble. 
28th. The relations between France and England are 
the treaty of Amiens, all the treaty of Amiens, nothing but 
the treaty of Amiens ! 

All the evils, all the plagues that afflict mankind come 
from London. 

31st, Rouen: 

(To the Consul Cambaceres.) It is five in the after- 
noon. I got on horseback at eight this morning to inspect 
the heights about Rouen. The Archbishop, who is much 
loved and esteemed, was obliging enough to say mass for 
us; but he gave us neither holy water not a sermon. We 
shall make up to-morrow, which is All Saints' day. I have 
just received the officials, and have had to talk much and 
long. I am very pleased with the sentiments of the coun- 
try. 

November 2d, Rouen: 

I was present yesterday at a fete given me by the city. 
There was a very large and fine company. To-morrow 
night I shall be at a fete given by the Commerce of Rouen. 
Thursday there will be a parade. I shall see the market 
Friday, market day. I shall start for Havre immediately, 
reaching there Saturday or Sunday. I shall return by 
Dieppe and by Beauvais, where I will stop the night. 

(To Joseph Bonaparte.) My compliments to Madame 
Joseph. She gets such handsome daughters that we must 
be consoled at her not presenting you with a fine boy. 



1G4 THE CORSICAN [1802 

I am as pleased with Rouen as I was with Lyons. The 
city's demonstrations have touched me, Everj'thing one 
sees here is fine and does one good. I really love this beau- 
tiful, excellent Normandy; it is the real France. 

(To Cardinal Fesch.) You must delay no longer and 
proceed to your archbishopric. Do not forget that in the 
station to which you are called you will be the focus of all 
eyes. Be strict in your morals and hold yourself as you 
should, and devote yourself exclusively to the duties of 
your ofBce. 

3d, Elbeuf : 

This morning at eight o'clock I started for a visit to 
Elbeuf, which is nothing but one great factory. I found 
everything in good shape. Its prosperity has increased by 
a third since 1788. 

4th. I hsixe held a parade which was very good. I was 
delighted with the appearance of the troops. 

6th. I arrived at Havre at six o'clock this evening. 
I was surrounded by throngs of people all the way and 
had to make frequent stops. It would be diflBcult to real- 
ize the manner in which I am received. In every village, 
at the church doors, the priests under their dais, sur- 
rounded by many people, sing hymns and throw incense. 
The illumination of Havre was very striking. I am several 
days behind on my journey, but it is not easy to do other- 
wise. 

10th, Dieppe: 

I arrived at Dieppe last night. The city was very taste- 
fully illuminated, but owing to petty municipal pride I 
am lodged in a wretched house in which all the chimneys 
smoke. 



2ET.33] A DIARY 165 

I passed through Fecamp and St. Valery. As the road 
from Havre to Dieppe is only a crossroad, our carriages 
were often brought to a walk, which enabled the inhab- 
itants of the neighbouring villages to follow me all the 
way; so we held frequent conversations. 

26th, Saint Cloud: 

(To Laplace.) I thank you for your dedication, which 
I accept with great pleasure, and I hope that when future 
generations are reading La Mecanique Celeste, they will 
not forget the esteem and friendship I felt for the author. 

December 4th. Citoyen Duroc may inform citoyen Beau- 
voisin that he may send me all the numbers he has of 
the Ambigu, and also the pamphlet of Ivernois. He may 
instruct him to make up a sheet on all he has seen in 
England, in which he can state what he knows about 
Pichegru and Willot, and about the obscure life of the 
royal princes. As I intend having it printed, he can aim 
at Pitt, Grenville, Wyndham, and the Court. Let him 
know that when this is done he is to return to England. 
He must find pretexts for inspecting the coast from the 
Thames to beyond Plymouth, the bay of Bristol, Edin- 
burgh, and the coasts of Scotland. 

28th. (To Talleyrand.) Please inform Lord Whitworth 
how surprised and annoyed I am to learn that the Count 
d'Artois, wearing the star of the Order of a monarchy 
that England no longer recognises, should have reviewed 
a regiment; that we have long kept silence; but that it 
touches our dignity, and we venture to say the honour of 
the British Government, that the princes should be ex- 
pelled from England, or at all events, if hospitality is to be 
extended to them, that they should not be permitted to 



166 THE CORSICAN [1802 

wear the Orders of a monarchy England no longer recog- 
nises. It is a perpetual insult to the French people, and 
the time has come for quiet in Europe. It really looks as 
though there were not a peace between the two countries, 
but only a truce, and the English Government is entirely 
to blame. 

30th. My power proceeds from my reputation, and 
my reputation from the victories I have won. My power 
would fall if I were not to support it with more glory 
and more victories. Conquest has made me what I am; 
only conquest can maintain me. 

Friendship is only a word; I love nobody; no, not even 
my brothers. Perhaps Joseph a little; even then it 's a 
matter of habit, it 's because he is my elder. — Duroc ? 
Ah, yes, I love him ; but why ? His character attracts me : 
he is cool, dry, severe; and Duroc never sheds tears. As 
for me, you don't suppose I care; I know perfectly well 
I have no real friends. As long as I remain what I am, 
I shall have as many as I need so far as the appearance 
goes. Let the women whimper, that 's their business, but 
for me, give me no sentiment. A man must be firm, have 
a stout heart, or else leave on one side war and govern- 
ment. 



1803 

January 12th, Paris: 

Until I was sixteen I would have fought for Rousseau 
against all the supporters of Voltaire. Now it 's the other 
way about. 

25th. Josephine is always afraid I may fall seriously in 
love; she doesn't realize that love was not made for me. 
For what is love ? A passion that leaves the universe oi^ 
one side, to place the loved one on the other. And, surely, 
such an exclusion is not in my character! 

I have always enjoyed the analytic process, and if I 
fell seriously in love I would analyze my feelings step by 
step. 

February l^ih.. (To Regnier.) Notwithstanding the pro- 
hibition, Mme. de Stael will arrive at Melun on the 15th. 
Please order a police agent there to make her return to 
the frontier at once, and to take her to the country either 
of her late husband or of her father. The intention of the 
Government is that this intriguing foreigner should not 
stay in France, where her family is already responsible 
for enough evils. 

20th. British troops continue to occupy Alexandria 
and Malta; this gave the Government good ground for 
complaint; but it appears the transports that are to bring 
them back to Europe are now in the Mediterranean. 

March 11th. Are all the efforts I have made for liber- 
ating Italy to remain unfruitful ? Is that country irrevo- 



168 THE CORSICAN [i803 

cably fated to remain nothing? The feebleness of the 
Government at Milan surpasses all that can be imagined. 
(To Chef de brigade Colbert.) You will proceed to 
Russia. You will hand the inclosed letter to the Emperor. 
In conversation you will emphasize the esteem in which 
Russians are held in Paris. Dwell on liberal and philo- 
sophic ideas when talking with the Emperor. In case 
war with England should be mentioned, you can say that 
in view of the existing antipathy the French nation is 
perfectly ready for a conflict. Be civil to the diplomatic 
corps, to the English minister just like the others. You 
will speak of the First Consul as very busy planning 
canals, starting manufactories, and working at matters 
of public education. 

Go, sir, gallop, and don't forget that the world was 
made in six days. You can ask me for anything you Hke, 
except time. 

(To the Emperor of Russia.) A more serious contest 
has arisen with England. Under the provisions of the 
treaty of Amiens she was held to evacuate iSIalta within 
three months, and France on her side to evacuate Taranto 
within the same period. I have faithfully evacuated Ta- 
ranto. On inquiring why Malta was not evacuated, I 
received the roj^ly that there was as yet no Grand Master: 
that was adding a clause to the treaty. The Grand Master 
is appointed: I am told it was necessary to await the 
accession of Your Majesty, to which I agreed, and which 
is now accomplished; I notified the British Cabinet to 
this effect. Then England raised the mask and informed 
me that she wished to hold Malta for seven years. 



^T.33] A DIARY 169 

13th. Diplomatic reception at Madame Bonaparte's at 
the Tuileries: 

So it 's war you want ? 

(Lord Whitworth: No, First Consul; we appreciate too 
deeply the benefits of peace.) 

We have already been at war for fifteen years! 

(Whitworth: That is already too much.) 

But you want to continue for another fifteen years, — 
you force me to it. The English want war, but if they are 
first to draw the sword, I shall be last to place it in the 
scabbard. They don't observe treaties; we shall have to 
veil them in crape. If you want to arm, I will arm too; 
if you want to fight, I too will fight. Woe betide those who 
do not respect treaties ! The French people can be killed, 
but cannot be intimidated! 

16th. (To General Hedouville.) The First Consul is 
distressed to see that, in the face of all Europe, aspersions 
have been cast on his good faith, and that the English 
Ministry, in a public document, have suggested that at a 
time of peace the First Consul was meditating a military 
operation. This attack on his good faith has wounded 
him deeply, and Sunday last, at Madame Bonaparte's 
reception, he seized the opportunity of expressing his sen- 
timents on an occasion that was likely to lend emphasis 
to what he said. 

May 1st. So the English Ambassador is not here to-day ? 
— He is probably packing up ! 

(To Talleyrand.) Your letter was handed to me at 
Malmaison. If the note contains the word ultimatum, 
make him understand that that word means war; if the 
note does not contain it, get him to put it in, on the ground 
that we must know where we are. ■■" 



170 THE CORSICAN [180S 

13th. The British Ambassador has just left Paris. 

23d. The intention of the Government is that General 
St. Cyr should march immediately from Rimini, with his 
corps, to enter the states of the King of Naples. On reach- 
ing Taranto General St. Cyr will start throwing up forti- 
fications at once. 

I have just given orders to General Mortier to enter the 
Electorate of Hanover with a corps of 25,000 men. 

26th. If the English want to make us jump the ditch, 
we will jump. They may capture a few frigates or a few 
colonies, but I will strike terror in London, and I pro- 
phesy that before the war is over they will weep tears of 
blood. 

June 20th. From the date of these presents no colonial 
produce coming from English colonies shall be admitted 
to French ports, nor shall any merchandise coming di- 
rectly or indirectly from England. 

26th, Amiens: 

I arrived here Saturday at seven in the evening. I am 
sending to Paris the four swans presented to me by the 
city of Amiens according to an ancient custom; I expect 
to have them placed in the ponds at the Tuileries. 

July 1st, Calais: 

I went to Boulogne, which I reached at ten o'clock at 
night. I employed the day, starting on horseback at three 
in the morning, in inspecting the port. I had the gun- 
boats out, and they had a brisk engagement with two 
English frigates which finally bore off, one having lost an 
anchor. 

To-day I breakfasted at Ambleteuse, and thence rode 
along the coast. In a marsh I discovered a very favourable 



iET.33] ' A DIARY 171 

spot for my plans, at the point that is nearest to England. 
I returned to Calais on horseback; it is nine o'clock, and 
I am going to dine. 

I saw all the merchant and the Government ships; I 
took a boat to inspect Fort Rouge; so I am free to start 
to-morrow for Dunkirk, where I shall find my wife and the 
Ministers of the Interior and of Foreign Affairs. I shall 
stay there three days to catch up current business, and 
to give my suite some rest. 

5th, Dunkirk: 

I have spent the last two days in the saddle or at sea. 
To-day I have done no riding, which has rested us all. 

7th, Lille: 

I reached Lille at six in the evening. 

(To Regnier.) I think it would be well for the prefect 
of police to draft a circular to the booksellers to prevent 
their selling books until seven days after sending you a 
copy, so that in the case of pernicious works, like the book 
of citoyen Salis, The Correspondence of Louis XVI, and 
the poem Pity, they can be stopped. 

11th, Ostend: 

I have crossed parts of Belgium and am pleased with 
the attitude of the people. Yesterday I visited Ostend, 
and visited several points that are of importance to the 
town and its inhabitants. I am just starting on my way 
along the coast to Blankenberghe. To-night I shall reach 
Bruges, where my wife has preceded me. 

17th, Ghent: 

I was present yesterday at a splendid fete given by the 
Commerce of Ghent in the market-place. To-day I pro- 
ceeded in full state to the cathedral to attend mass. 



172' THE CORSICAN (isos 

23d, Brussels: 

I am here since two days, but have not gone out. 

Fete given by the municipality, that seemed to me 
badly managed. Five or six times more people than the 
place could hold. 

Oh! what an ugly headdress! 

Who fiddled your hair like that ? 

No children ? Perhaps it 's not your fault. See that 
you get some! 

26th. All the Belgian ladies were presented to my wife 
to-day. Illuminations are blazing in the Allee Verte. Hav- 
ing spent the day in the saddle, I prefer attending to my 
letters while the ladies have gone off. 

The way in which the troops are placed near Boulogne, 
Etaples, and Ambleteuse is very important, and an essen- 
tial feature of the operations; for the troops will have 
to embark and disembark frequently: their embarkation 
must be very prompt. From the giving of the order to its 
execution there must be only an hour or two. 

August 4th, Namur: 

Mortier has just sent me a Latin IMS. by Leibnitz ad- 
dressed to Louis XIV proposing the conquest of Egypt. 
It is a very curious work. 

23d, Saint Cloud: 

England will never get other terms from me than 
those of Amiens; I will face everything, but I will never 
consent to her holding anything in the Mediterranean. 
From Malta, Nelson holds all Italy blockaded. By the 
help of God and a good cause, the war, however unfortu- 
nate it may be, will ne\er make the French people bow 



MT.Si] A DIARY 173 

before this proud nation that makes its sport of all that is 
sacred on earth, and that has, especially these last twenty 
years, assumed a predominance and arrogance in Europe 
that menace the very existence of all nations in their 
industry and commerce, those mainsprings of national 
existence. 

September 6th. The winter will be a severe one; meat 
very high. There must be plenty of employment in Paris. 

Push on the construction of the Ourcq canal. 

Start work on the quais Desaix and d'Orsay. 

Have the new streets paved. 

Get other work for the masses. 

October 1, Paris: 

There shall be erected in Paris, in the centre of the 
place Vendome, a column on the same lines as that 
erected at Rome in honour of Trajan. The column shall 
be surmounted by a pedestal adorned with an olive 
wreath on which there shall be a statue of Charlemagne. 

3d. (To Regnier.) I am informed that Madame de 
Stael has arrived at Maffliers. Have her informed by one 
of her friends, and without any fuss, that if she is still 
there on the 7th she will be taken to the frontier by 
the gendarmerie. The appearance of this woman has al- 
ways been like that of a bird of ill omen, a symptom of 
trouble. My intention is that she should remain out of 
France. 

29th. (To Admiral Bruix.) I am glad to see that your 
port at Boulogne is beginning to fill up. Havre, Cher- 
bourg, Granville, St. Malo, have large flotillas ready that 
may reach you at any moment. They will double your 
strength. In the meanwhile I have much satisfaction in 



174 THE CORSICAN [isos 

hearing of the good spirit of the troops and of the zeal 
with which they work at their naval tactics. 

30th. (To Rear-Admiral Decres.) Please collect at 
Rochcfort and Brest the transports for the expedition 
to Ireland. 

November 5th, Boulogne: 

I arrived unexpectedly at Boulogne on Friday at one 
o'clock. I set to inspecting with the liveliest interest the 
preparations for our great expedition; at midnight I was 
still at it. I am in barracks in the centre of the camp on 
the seashore, where the eye can measure the space that 
separates us from England. 

9th. I spent Sunday visiting our new ports at Amble- 
teuse and Wimereux, and in manoeuvring the troops. 

I inspected to-da5^ in the closest detail, the naval work- 
shops; their condition is as bad as it well could be. I 
have just converted some barracks into a naval arsenal. 
I have to look after the smallest details in person. 

I have spent some hours in inspecting the troops man 
by man. 

Our fleet, which already numbers one hundred men-of- 
war, remains at anchor in the bay, and the English don't 
dare to close in to short range. Lord Keith is apparently 
in command and has several 64's; he has suffered some 
damage even at long range. 

I passed some part of last night in making the troops 
perform night evolutions; those niananivros may often 
be profitably undertaken by well-trained and disciplined 
troops against a militia. 

Things are taking on a formidable aj)pcarance. 

II 111. The sea is heavy, and the rain is unceasing. I 



iET.34j A DIARY 175 

spent yesterday in the port Inspecting, — there is always 
something to see. 

12th. Rain in torrents. I spent all day yesterday in 
boats or on horseback. It seems to agree with me. I have 
never had such good health. 

I hope I shall soon reach the goal that Europe is watch- 
ing. We have the insults of six centuries to avenge. 

16th. From the cliff at Amble teuse I had a sight of the 
English coast. I could make out houses and movement. 
The thing is a ditch, and with a pinch of courage it can 
be jumped. 
^: December 7th, Paris: 

The combined fleets will start (in March), and reach 
Boulogne (in April). 

At the end of February I shall be at Boulogne with 
130,000 men. With a good wind we need the fleet for 
only twelve hours. 

29th. I start to-morrow at six in the morning for 
Boulogne. I shall be back for the opening session of the 
Legislative Body. 



1804 

January 1st, Boulogne: 

To-morrow at eight I shall inspect the whole flotilla. 
As I go on board the first cutter, the Admiral's ship will 
fire a salute of 60 guns. 

2d, Etaples: 

This country resembles that of ^olus ! 

4th, Boulogne: 

(To the Consul Cambaceres.) There is no objection to 
a sword being presented to General Junot, and it is not 
unseemly that a plain statement of the fact should be 
made public. Beyond that the thing would be absurd.. 
One might well ask: What would the city of Paris do at 
that rate for the general who first set foot in England ? 
The City of London gave Nelson a sword after the battle 
of the Nile. I say this not in the sense that General Junot 
does not deserve a sword, but that he has done nothing 
noteworthy since becoming governor of Paris. 

12th, Paris: 

The land tax must be cut down by 10 millions of francs 
in the budget of 1804. This reduction will act as a pass- 
port for the new tax on alcohol. One must know where 
to give, and where to take. 

ICth. Lyceums and secondary schools are going up 
everywhere. 

February 13lli, Malmaison: 

(To General Soult.) These last eight days wc have been 



iET.34] A DIARY 177 

hunting a band of 40 ruffians, headed by Georges, who 
landed in three batches between Treport and Dieppe. 
That scoundrel Pichegru has followed Georges and the 
rest to Paris; we know where they slept Sunday. The 
depositions of some whom we have arrested implicate 
generals of the highest rank. If we can verify this, justice 
shall be done. I thought it best to notify you at once so 
that you can get on the track of any intrigues there may 
be in your army. From the veiled character of part of my 
dispatch, you must see that I do not care to speak out for 
the moment. The police hold out hopes that they will 
catch Pichegru and Georges to-day. 

16th. (To Regnier.) Please issue a writ to arrest 
General Souham and General Liebert, charged with con- 
spiracy against the state with Generals Moreau, Pichegru, 
and the outlaw Georges. 

Guess what I 've just done ! I have ordered the arrest 
of Moreau; it will make a fine scandal, won't it ? People 
will not omit to say that I am jealous of Moreau, that it 's 
a revenge, and a thousand silly things of the same kind, 
I, jealous of Moreau! 

18th. (To the Senate.) Since the day on which I at- 
tained the Chief Magistracy numerous plots have been 
formed to kill me; they were really conspiracies against 
the glory, the liberty, the destinies of the French nation. 
Our citizens must allay their fears; my life will last as long 
as it is necessary to the nation. 

19th. (To General Soult.) Moreau has been arrested; 
and fifteen or sixteen of the ruffians; the rest have taken 
to flight. Fifteen horses and some uniforms have been 



178 THE CORSICAN [1804 

found that were to have been used in attacking me on the 
road between Mahiiaison and Paris. 

March 1st. Pichegru was arrested yesterday. He was 
not able to use either his pistols or his dagger. He fought 
with his fists for half an hour against three or four picked 
policemen. 

8th, Malmaison: 

We are making arrests every day. I think it is certain 
that Georges and a few of his men are still in Paris. 

9th, Paris: 

The case against Moreau and Pichegru is being worked 
up by the Criminal Tribunal of the Seine. 

10th. (To General Berthier.) Please give orders to 
General Ordener, whom I place at your disposal, to start 
to-night for Strassburg. He is to proceed to Ettenheim, 
to surround the city, and to seize the Duke d'Enghien, 
Dumouriez, an English colonel, and any other persons 
in the party. 

12th, Malmaison: 

(To General Soult.) Paris is still held closed by the 
police, and will be kept so until these ruffians are all 
under arrest. I may tell you, in the strictest confidence, 
that I hope to get Dumouriez. The rascal is near our 
frontiers. 

(To General Marmont.) As soon as you reach the 
camp, form a line of battalions, and spend eight hours 
in reviewing the men one by one; listen to their com- 
plaints, inspect their arms, and see that nothing is missing. 
Tlu'se reviews of seven or eight hours arc very profitable; 
they accustom the men to remain under arms, and show 
them that their officers are not dissipating, but are con- 



^T.34] A DIARY 179 

cerned for their welfare, a thing that inspires the soldier 
with much confidence. 

14th. In the present situation of Europe my policy 
aims straight at England. I have at Boulogne 1000 gun- 
boats and flatboats that will carry 100,000 men and 
10,000 horses. 

19th. Citoyen General Murat : I have received your 
letter. If the Duke de Berry were in Paris at the house of 
M. de Cobenzl, and if M. d'Orleans were staying with the 
Marquis di Gallo, not only would I have them arrested 
this very night and shot, but I would also have these am- 
bassadors arrested and make them suffer the same fate; 
the law of nations would not be seriously affected. 

There is no other prince in Paris than the Duke 
d'Enghien, who will arrive at Vincennes to-morrow. Get 
that well into your head, and don't listen to anything you 
may hear to the contrary. 

20th. The ci-devant Duke d'Enghien, accused of hav- 
ing carried arms against the Republic, of having been and 
still being in the pay of England, of plotting with that 
Power against the security, internal and external, of the 
Republic, shall be tried by a court-martial of seven mem- 
bers appointed by the governor of Paris, assembled at 
Vincennes. 

4 P.M. 

(To General Murat.) The Duke d'Enghien is to be 
taken to the fort of Vincennes, where arrangements have 
been made to receive him. He is travelling under the 
name of Plessis. 

4.30 P. M. 

(To citoyen Harel.) A person whose name is to re- 



180 THE CORSICAN [1804 

main unknown to you is to be sent to the fort which 
you command; place him in the room that is vacant, 
taking proper precautions against his escape. The inten- 
tion of the Government is that everything relating to him 
should be kept very secret, and that no questions should 
be addressed to him as to his identity, or the reason for 
his arrest. 

(To citoyen Real.) Apparently the Duke d'Enghien 
started at midnight on the 17th. He will therefore soon 
be here. I have just issued the decree of which I enclose 
you a copy. Proceed to Vincennes at once to examine the 
prisoner. Here are the questions to put to him: 

Have you borne arms against your country ? 

Have you accepted the pay of England ? 

What knowledge have you of the plot formed by Eng- 
land for overturning the Government of the Republic ? 
On that plot meeting with success, were you not to enter 
Alsace, and even march on Paris, in given circumstances ? 

You must take with you the public prosecutor, who is 
to be the major of the special gendarmerie, and you must 
instruct him to put things through quickly. 

21st. Execution of the Diike d'Enghien. 

I will respect the judgment of public opinion when it is 
well founded; but when capricious it must be met with 
contempt. I have behind me the will of the nation and an 
army of 500,000 men. Witli that I can command respect 
for the Republic. I could have had the Duke d'Enghien 
shot publicly; and if I have not done so, I held back not 
from fear, but to prevent the secret adherents of his House 
from breaking out and ruining themselves. They have 
kci)t quiet; it is all I ask of them. 



iET.34] A DIARY 181 

I will not consent to a peace with England unless she 
expels the Bourbons, just as Louis XIV expelled the Stu- 
arts, because their presence in England will always be 
dangerous for France. Russia, Sweden, Prussia have 
driven them out. 

22d. These people wanted an upheaval in France, and 
by killing me to kill the Revolution; it has been for me 
to defend and to avenge it, I have shown what it can do. 
The Duke d'Enghien was a conspirator just like any other, 
and it was necessary to treat him as any other might be 
treated. The Bourbons will always look at things through 
the (Eil de Boeuf, and are fated to live under an eternal 
delusion. Ah! it would have been a different matter had 
they appeared like Henry IV on a battlefield, all covered 
with dust and with blood. Kingdoms are not won by 
letters dated "London" and signed "Louis." I have shed 
blood, I shall perhaps shed more, but never in anger, and 
merely because bloodletting enters into the practice of 
political medicine. 

April 5th. Mr. Edward Livingston, President of the 
Academy of Arts of New York: I have learned with inter- 
est of the formation of a literary society in New York; 
and as your Academy has been so kind as to elect me a 
member, pray inform it that I accept with pleasure, and 
that I am grateful for its good opinion of me. 

6th. (To Pauline Borghese.) Madam and dear sister: 
I learn with regret that you have not enough good sense 
to conform with the customs and habits of the city of 
Rome; that you show contempt for the inhabitants, and 
that Paris is your constant model. Although busy with 
matters of grave importance, yet I have thought it best 



182 THE CORSICAN [1804 

to inform you of my views, hoping that you will conform 
with them. 

Love your husband and your family; be obliging; accus- 
tom yourself to the habits of the city of Rome; and be 
persuaded that if at the age you have now reached you 
give way to bad advice, you can no longer count on me. 

14th. The General Councils of Departments, the 
Electoral Colleges, and all the great Bodies of the State, 
demand that an end should be made of the hopes of the 
Bourbons by securing the Republic from the upheavals 
of elections and the uncertainty attending the life of an 
individual. 

15th. It is not as a general that I rule, but because the 
nation believes I have the civilian qualifications for 
governing. My system is quite simple. It has seemed to 
me that under the circumstances the thing to do was to 
centralize power and increase the authority of the Gov- 
ernment, so as to constitute the Nation. I am the con- 
stituent power. 

I can best compare a constitution to a ship; if you allow 
the wind to fill your sails, you go you know not w hither, 
according to the wind that drives you; but if you make 
use of the rudder, you can go to Martinique with a wind 
that is driving you to San Domingo. No constitution has 
remained fixed. Change is governed by men and by cir- 
cumstances. If an overstrong government is undesirable, 
a weak one is much worse. 

25th. Senators: I have constantly kept in mind your 
address of the Olh of Genniiial; I have carefully medi- 
tated on it. You have decided that the heredity of the 
supreme magistracy was necessary to protect the French 



MT. 



A DIARY 183 



people from the plots of our enemies and from the dis- 
sensions of conflicting factions. I therefore invite you to 
disclose your intentions fully. 

May 18th. Proclamation of the Empire. 

(To the Consul Cambaceres.) Citoyen Consul: your 
title is about to change; your functions and my confidence 
in you remain unchanged. You will continue to display 
in the high dignity of Arch Chancellor of the Empire, as 
you did in that of Consul, the wisdom in counsel and the 
distinguished talent that have made your share so large 
in all that I may have accomplished. 

Settle the titles to be given to the Senators and high 
dignitaries of the Empire. 

Call the high dignitaries Highness, the Senators Ex- 
cellency. 

The Senate as a body is to be known as Senat Con- 
servateur. In private, use Monsieur, and to the Ministers 
as well. 

Everything that can increase the happiness of the 
country is completely bound up with my own. I accept 
a title that you believe will be of service to the nation. I 
will submit to the people the law concerning the hered- 
itary power. I hope that France will never regret the 
honours she has showered on my family. 

The members of the Senate, of the Council of State, and 
of the Tribunate, the presidents and secretaries of the 
Legislative Body, and the president of the Court of Ap- 
peal will take the oath to the Emperor in person. 



184 THE CORSICAN [iso4 

20th. For the moment I shall exclude two of my bro- 
thers from the succession, one of them because, despite 
his intelligence, he has contracted a masquerade mar- 
riage; the other because he has had the impudence, with- 
out my consent, to marry an American. I will reinstate 
them if they give up their wives. 

29th. You Frenchmen love monarchy. It is the only 
government you really like. I will bet that you. Monsieur 
R^musat, are a hundred times more comfortable now that 
you address me as Sire. 

June 3d, Saint Cloud: 

Russia, which has assumed mourning for the Duke 
d'Enghien, has thereby reminded Europe of the assassi- 
nation of Paul I, which was nearly forgotten. 

18th. The trial of the conspirators has started much 
gossip in Paris. The more than merciful judgment of the 
weak Tribunal of the Seine will be carried out as soon 
as the lawful period for entering an appeal has expired. 
Although I have pardoned several persons, there will still 
be a dozen ruflSans who cannot be pardoned antl who 
must meet their fate. As to General Moreau, although 
he was not condemned to death, he has been dishonoured 
by the verdict. 

July 1st. Imagine the effect of the Emperor and his 
family decked in their imperial robes and exposed to the 
effects of the weather, the nuid, the dust, or the rain! 
What a joke for the Parisians, who are so keen to ridicule 
everything, and who are used to seeing Chcron at the 
Opera and Talma at the Theatre Fran^'ais play the Em- 
peror a good deal better than I can. It has been suggested 
thai the ceremony should take place al the Church of the 



^T.34] A DIARY 185 

Invalides because of its military associations, but Notre 
Dame will be better; it is larger, and also has associations 
that appeal more strongly to the imagination. It will 
lend dignity to the ceremony. 
]^ 2d, Malmaison: 

All this will last as long as I do; when I am gone, my 
son may think himself lucky if he has 40,000 francs a 
year! 

(To Vice-Admiral Latouche-Treville.) Let me know 
by return what day you can weigh anchor, weather per- 
mitting. Inform me also as to the position of the enemy, 
— where Nelson is. Think over carefully the great enter- 
prise you are about to carry out; and let me know, before 
I sign your final orders, your own views as to the best 
way of carrying it out. 

We have 1800 gunboats and cutters carrying 120,000 
men and 10,000 horses between Staples, Boulogne, 
Wimereux, and Ambleteuse. If we are masters of the 
Channel for six hours, we are masters of the world! 

If you take Nelson in he will sail for Sicily, Egypt, or 
Ferrol. It would seem better, therefore, to sail very wide, 
to appear before Rochefort, which would give you a fleet 
of 16 of the line and 11 frigates, and then without delay, 
without touching, whether by circling around Ireland, 
or by carrying out the first plan, proceed to Boulogne. 
Our Brest fleet, 23 of the line, will have troops on board, 
and will remain constantly under sail, so that Cornwallis 
must keep close in to the coast of Brittany to prevent its 
getting out. But before my ideas are quite settled about 
these operations, which offer great risks but of which 



18G THE CORSICAN [1804 

the success would mean so much, I shall wait for the plan 
you are to send me. 

21st, Pont-dc-Briques: 

(To Josephine.) Madam and dear wife: It is now four 
days since I left you. I have spent them in the saddle 
and otherwise active, without any ill effect on my health. 

The wind freshened to-night, and one of our gunboats 
dragged its anchor and struck on the rocks about one 
league from Boulogne; I thought all would be lost, the 
ship and the crew, but we were able to save them. The 
sight was a grand one; alarm guns were being fired; the 
shore seemed to blaze with fire; the sea roared furiously; 
all through the night we anxiously awaited the destruction 
or the safety of the unhappy men. My soul was in com- 
munion with Eternity, the Ocean, and Night! At five in 
the morning the weather cleared; all were saved; and I 
W'Cnt to bed under the impression of a romantic and epic 
dream; a state that might have suggested to me my own 
solitude, were it not that fatigue and my soaked condi- 
tion had left me with no other desire than sleep. 

27th. Yesterday I reviewed the whole flotilla. Com- 
pared with that of England, our situation is most favour- 
able. The war has no ill effect on France, because of its 
weighing so heavily on England, and I have here around 
me 120,000 men, and 3000 cutters and gunboats, that 
only await a favourable breeze to carry the Imperial 
eagle to the Tower of London. Time and Fate alone can 
tell what will come of it all. 

fJOth. Order for the return to England of Txird Tweed- 
dale, an English i)risoncr at Verdun, as a tribute to the 
talents and character of Mr. Fox. 



^T. 34-35] A DIARY 187 

August 3d. There are signs of a coalition forming; I 
shall not give them time to complete it; it is not right 
that Austria, by such equivocal conduct, should hold 
300,000 men at attention on the shores of the Channel. 
The court of Vienna will have to come out of its ambigu- 
ous attitude, and if Vienna is so mad as to attempt the 
fortune of war again, and listen to the suggestions of 
London, woe betide the Austrian monarchy! 

6th. ' The police commissioner at Boulogne is an excel- 
lent young man, but very young; at his age it is not pos- 
sible to realize the depth of human perversity. 

17th. The ceremony went off splendidly yesterday, 
except for a high wind. The spectacle was novel and im- 
posing. Rarely have so many bayonets been seen to- 
gether, f 

September 3d, Aix-la-Chapelle : 

I must have a talk with Villeneuve about the great 
plan his fleet is to carry out. 

6th. (To Vice- Admiral Ganteaume.) If you could 
carry 16,000 men and 1000 horses to Ireland in Novem- 
ber, it would be fatal to our enemies. Tell me if you could 
be ready, and what are the probabilities of success. 
Have a talk with the Irish general O'Connor about the 
points where we might disembark. 

I have no naval commanders. I would like to create 
a few rear-admirals, but I would prefer to select the men 
who showed most promise, regardless of seniority. 

12th. Castle of La Haye, near Guelders: 

I am here to-day in a little castle on the border of the 
Empire. I visited Crevelt yesterday, and am going to 
Venloo this morning. It was time this country was looked 



188 THE CORSICAN [1804 

up both from the point of view of miUtary fortification 
and of administration. 

(To Decres.) The navy must be tuned up by making 
a few examples. It 's the only way to get a navy. Every 
naval expedition we have attempted since I have been at 
the head of the Government has failed, because the ad- 
mirals see double and have picked up the idea, I don't 
know where, that you can make war without running risks. 

I have sent you some reports on St. Helena. 

15th, Cologne: 

(To the Pope.) Holy Father: The excellent influence 
which the reestablishment of the Christian religion has 
had on the habits and character of my people leads me to 
beg Your Holiness to give me a new proof of your interest 
in me and in this great nation, in one of the most important 
events recorded in the annals of humanity. I ask you to 
give the sanction of religion to the ceremony attending 
the consecration dnd coronation of the first Emperor of 
the French. 

Treat the Pope as though he had 200,000 men. 

27th. (To Marshal Berthier.) My Cousin : The expedi- 
tion to Ireland will take place. You must confer with 
Marshal Augereau on the matter. We have at Brest 
transports for 18,000 men. General IMarmont is ready 
on his side with 25,000. He will altenii)t to land in Ire- 
land and will be under the orders of Marshal Augereau. 
At the same time the Grand Army will embark at 
lioulogne, and will make every effort to effect a landing 
in Kent. The navy holds out hopes of being ready on the 
22d of October. 



iET.35] A DIARY 189 

November 4th. It is from a sense of justice that I will not 
divorce her ! It may be that my personal interests, or even 
the interests of my system call for my marrying again. 
But I said to myself: How can I put away this excellent 
woman, just because I am becoming great? No, that is 
beyond me. I have the heart of a man; it was not a tigress 
gave me birth. When she dies I will marry again, and 
perhaps I shall have children. But I will not make her 
unhappy. 

Joseph is not marked out for my succession; he is older 
than I am; I shall probably outlive him, my health is 
good; and then he was not born in a high enough rank 
to maintain the illusion. I was born in poverty; he also 
was born in the most mediocre of surroundings; I have 
risen by my deeds; he has remained where his birth placed 
him. To reign in France, one must be born great, have 
been seen in childhood in a palace, surrounded with 
guards, or else be a man capable of raising himself above 
all others. 

My mistress is power; I have done too much to conquer 
her to let her be snatched away from me. Although it may 
be said that power came to me of its own accord, yet I 
know what labour, what sleepless nights, what scheming^ 
it has involved. 

They are jealous of my wife, of Eugene, of Hortense, of 
all that is near me. What does it amount to ? My wife 
has diamonds, — and debts ! Eugene has an income of 
20,000 francs a year! I love those children, because they 
are always trying to please me. If the cannon is fired, it 
is Eugene who runs out to see what it 's about. If I have 
to cross a ditch, his hand is ready to help me. I love Hor- 



190 THE CORSICAN [1804 

tense, yes, I love her; she and her brother always take my 
side, even against their mother, when she gets angry about 
some girl or such trivial matters. If Hortcnse should ask 
to see me while I was in the Council of State, I would go 
out to receive her. If Madame Murat (Caroline Bona- 
parte) asked for me, I would not go out. \Yith her it 's 
always a pitched battle; to bring a chit of a woman of my 
own family to reason, I must needs deliver harangues as 
long as if she were the Senate and the Council of State 
together. They say my wife is unfaithful, and that the 
attentions of her children are forced. Well! so be it! 
They treat me like an old uncle, and it makes the pleasant 
side of my Ufe; I am getting old, — I 'm thirty-six, I need 
rest. 

They say I am going to give Italy to Eugene: so help 
me, I am not mad enough for that ! I think myself capable 
of governing Italy, and even the Venetian state ! My wife 
is a good wife, who does them no harm. She merely plays 
the Empress a little, has diamonds, fine dresses, the trifles 
of her age. I have never loved her blindly. If I have 
created her Empress, it was but bare justice. Yes, she 
shall be crowned! She shall be crowned if it costs me 
200,000 men! 

And then you are always talking to me about my death ! 
My death! Always, my death! A very unpleasant idea 
to have constantly thrust under one's nose! If I could not 
find a little hajipiness in my family life, I should be a very 
unfortunate being. My death! My death! Always my 
d(Nith! Eh! may the universe break u]) after I've gone, 
if I am always to have the tiiought of death liefore me. 

I speak to you as a friend, as the president of the Com- 



MT.35] A DIARY 191 

mittee of the Interior. I know you, but I don't know the 
other persons who revolve about Joseph. How on earth 
could he have gone to Fouche, a little while ago, to com- 
plain that Madame Joseph would have to carry the train 
of the Empress at the Coronation ? Well, if the restive- 
ness of Joseph comes from the acrid blood that flows in 
his veins, he must retire to the country. He enjoys the 
rustic life and pastoral poetry; let him go off and compose 
idylls. 

5th, Saint Cloud: * 

(To Cardinal Fesch.) It is absolutely necessary for the 
Pope to accelerate his journey. I am willing to postpone 
things till the 2d of December, which is my latest possible 
date. If the Pope is not here by then, the Coronation will 
take place, and the Consecration will be deferred. It is 
not possible to detain in Paris the troops and the depart- 
mental deputations, amounting to 50,000 persons. 

December 1st, Paris: 

I ascend the throne to which the unanimous votes of 
the Senate, the People, and the Army have called me, 
my heart full of the destinies of a Nation which I, from 
the midst of camps, first proclaimed great. 

My descendants will long fill this throne. 

2d, Notre Dame. The Coronation. 

I swear that I will govern with the sole purpose of se- 
curing the interests, the happiness, and the glory of the 
French people. 

5th, Paris. 

Soldiers, here are your standards; these eagles must 
always be your rallying points. 

27th. Deputies of the Departments to the Legislative 



192 THE CORSICAN [1804 

Body, Tribunes, and Members of the Council of State, 
I have come among you to preside over your opening 
session. I have sought to lend a more imposing dignity 
to your labours. Prince, magistrates, soldiers, citizens, 
each in his own sphere, will have but one aim, — the inter- 
ests of the country. If this throne, to which Providence 
and the will of the people have called me, is precious in my 
eyes, it is for the sole reason that by it alone can the most 
precious rights of the French nation be preserved. With- 
out a strong and paternal government, France would have 
to fear a return of the evils from which she once suffered. 
Weakness in the executive power is the greatest calamity 
of nations. As soldier, or First Consul, I had but one 
purpose; as Emperor, I have none other: the prosperity 
of France. 

If death does not surprise me in the midst of my labours, 
I hope to leave to posterity a renown that may always 
serve as an example, or as a reproach, to my successors. 



1805 

January 1st, Paris: 

Ah! Good God! What red arms you've got! What 
a dirty dress ! Don't you ever change your dress ? I 've 
seen that one at least twenty times ! 

Why don't you put on rouge ? You 're too pale. What ? 
A woman who forgets her rouge ? That would n't happen 
to you, would it, Josephine ? 

February 1st. We appoint our brother-in-law, Marshal 
Murat, Grand Admiral of the Empire. 

27th. The time is drawing near when we can begin 
operations. 

March 15th, Malmaison: 

(To Vice-Admiral Ganteaume.) We have reached the 
15th of March; there is not a day to spare. Be mindful 
of the greatness of the results that depend on you. If you 
show plenty of boldness, success is certain. In the Med- 
iterranean Nelson has been damaged by the storms; 
he has only twelve of the line. 

17th, Paris: 

The Emperor of the French, Napoleon I, is King of 
Italy. The crown of Italy is hereditary by direct descent. 

20th, Malmaison: 

(To Marshal Berthier.) My Cousin: I would like you 
to write to Marshal Bernadotte to have him send out 
people travelling under various pretexts in the provinces 
of Polish Russia, so that we may be well posted as to any 
movements of the Russian troops. 



194 THE CORSICAN [i805 

21st. (To Marshal Bcrthicr.) I regret to find every day 
proposals placed before me for the quick promotion of 
staff oflScers, lieutenants of not more than two, three, or 
four years' service. They think themselves veterans if 
they date back to 1799. And yet there is no regiment 
that does not average eight captains dating from 1792, 
wounded, and who have fought in every campaign. I 
count seven of them in the 1st regiment, eight in the 3d, 
fourteen in the 4th, fourteen in the 5th, fifteen in the 6th, 
and so on. 

22d. (To Vice-Admiral Villeneuve.) I am awaiting 
the news of your departure with impatience. 

(To General Lauriston.) It is intended that the Toulon 
fleet shall combine with two other fleets. It is essential 
that it should weigh anchor by the 26th; hasten its de- 
parture by every possible means; let nothing delay you. 
Encourage the admiral to keep steadily on towards his 
objective, and to avoid hesitation in an operation of 
which the result is so vital to the future of France. My 
admirals lack boldness; they mistake frigates for line of 
battle ships, and merchant vessels for hostile fleets. De- 
cision must be shown, and once the fleet is out it must 
fly straight to its mark and not go into port or turn back. 

April 3d, Troyes : 

Word has just come from Toulon stating that the fleet 
has sailed. 

7th, Chalons-sur-Saone: 

I reckon that with the weather we are having and with 
tlic wind prevailing when the fleet started, Nelson has 
j)n)hably returned to Maddalena or some port of Sar- 
dinia. 



MT.35] A DIARY 195 

11th, Lyons: 

(To Ganteaume.) A message from Cadiz of the 29th 
states that Admiral Gravina is ready to sail with 8 ships 
and 2 frigates, which will bring the fleet of Admiral 
Villeneuve up to 20 of the line. You will find 8 Spanish 
and 4 French ships at Ferrol: I expect, therefore, that you 
can start from the point of concentration with 50 line 
of battle ships. The destinies of the world are in your 
hands. 

(To Vice-Admiral Ver Huell.) I intend to concentrate 
the Dutch flotilla at Ambleteuse. The hour of glory is 
perhaps on the point of striking; it is all a matter of a few 
chances, of a few incidents. 

20th, Stupinigi: 

(To Decres.) Admiral Nelson has once more been 
taken in about our fleet. I am beginning to feel a little 
easier about it. You will see that Admiral Villeneuve is 
not under instructions to return immediately, but to 
wait thirty-five days so that the Brest fleet may have 
time enough to join him. By Heaven! stir them up! 

22d. (To Madame Mere.) Mr. Jerome Bonaparte has 
arrived at Lisbon with the woman with whom he is 
living. I have ordered this prodigal son to Milan. Miss 
Patterson, who is with him, has prudently got her brother 
with her as an escort. I have ordered her sent back to 
America. I shall treat the boy harshly if, in the one in- 
terview I give him, he shows himself unworthy of his 
family and wishes to continue his liaison. Unless he is 
disposed to wipe out the dishonour he has attached to my 
name in abandoning his flag and his nationality for an 
unworthy woman, I shall wash my hands of him, and per- 



196 THE CORSICAN [180S 

haps I shall strike an example to show young soldiers 
how sacred are their duties and how serious is the crime 
of abandoning their flag for a woman. 

23d. Villeneuve joined Gravina off Cadiz on the 10th. 

(To Decres.) Keep the event at Cadiz, and the depart- 
ure of the fleets secret. See that the Dutch gazettes pub- 
lish that a French fleet has landed 10,000 men in Egj^pt; 
that the Admiral manoeuvred very skilfully so as to throw 
Nelson off the track; that he made a show of passing the 
straits (of Gibraltar), but that at night he turned back 
and sailed along the African coast. 

24th. (To Cambaceres.) My Cousin: I think the 
Council of State is not attending sufficiently to our man- 
ufactures; it is not idealism makes countries prosper- 
ous. 

(To Fouche.) Have some well written articles pub- 
lished deriding the military movements of the Russians, 
the interview of the Emperor of Russia with the Emperor 
of Austria, and the absurd reports, phantoms born of the 
fogs and the spleen of England. Get active, and keep 
public opinion up. Tell the editors that although I am 
far away, I still read the papers, and that if they continue 
on the present tack I shall close their accounts. 

(To Marshal Soult.) Let me know whether the horses, 
the supplies, the men, will all be ready for embarkation 
in two weeks. Don't reply in terms of metaphysics, but 
inspect your magazines and depots. 

26th. (To Marshal Davout.) Don't let appearances 
send you to sleep. It may take me two months to travel 
down to Milan, but only a very few days to get back 
from Milan to Boulogne. 



JET. 35] A DIARY 197 

May 2d, Alessandria: 

(To Talleyrand.) As the wording of the letters signed 
by me, when I have not drafted them in person, is often 
the work of Durand and his crew, it is not at all re- 
markable that, after the letter I was made to write to 
the Equestrian Order, the Emperor of Germany should 
have been encouraged to attack the princes. There are 
people in existence who imagine I have no teeth and no 
claws. By God, write to them not to trust to it! The 
habit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is always to 
write dispatches according to the protocol; there should 
be a special office for this duty; I am made to play too 
silly a part signing such letters. 

Word reaches me from Naples that Nelson was at 
Maritime on the 22d, and had only just learnt that the 
Toulon fleet had passed the straits. 

4th. If Spain will send her six ships from Carthagena 
to Toulon, I will frighten the English so that they will 
keep an imposing force there; for I shall threaten Egypt 
in so many ways, and so obviously, that they will expect 
a big stroke; they believe my fleets are bound for the 
East Indies, and so it would appear as though I were 
carrying out a concerted scheme. 

8th, Pa via: 

On the 14th of July I shall be on the coast, and I expect 
the return of the fleets on the 29th. 

22d, Milan: 

(To Fouche.) Have some articles written against Prin- 
cess Dolgorouki, who is spreading scandalous and ridicu- 
lous reports in Rome. You probably know that she long 



198 THE CORSICAN [1805 

lived with an actor, and that the diamonds she displays so 
ostentatiously were given her by Potemkin and are the 
price of her dishonour. You can get information about 
her, and make her a laughingstock. She poses for a clever 
woman; she is on friendly terms with the Queen of Naples, 
and, which is equally surprising, with Mme. de Stael. 

26th. Assumption of the Iron Crown as King of Italy. 

Dio mi la donna, guai a chi la tocca! 

27th. The coronation took place yesterday with much 
pomp. The cathedral was splendidly decorated. The 
ceremony went off just as well as in Paris, with this differ- 
ence, that the weather was splendid. When I took the 
Iron Crown and placed it on my head, I added these 
words: "God gave it me, touch it who dares!" I hope I 
was prophesying! 

30th. (To Decres.) Why are you so anxious I should 
come back to Paris ? Nothing is better adapted to conceal 
my plans and deceive the enemy than my absence. It will 
give them confidence, and they will allow a few more ships 
to get away to distant seas. 

(To Fouche.) Have some caricatures made : an Eng- 
lishman, his purse in his hand, begging the various Powers 
to accept his money, etc. That is the note to strike. Have 
printed in Holland that advices from Madeira state that 
Villencuve met a convoy of 100 English merchantmen 
bound for India, and captured it. 

June 1st. I shall unite the territory of Genoa to my Em- 
pire. 

(To Fouche.) I read in a paper that a tragedy on Tlonry 
IV is to be played. The epoch is recent enough to 
excite poUtical passions. The theatre must dip more 



^T.35] A DIARY 199 

into antiquity. Why not commission Raynouard to write 
a tragedy on the transition from primitive to less prim- 
itive man ? A tyrant would be followed by the Saviour 
of his country. The oratorio " Saul " is on precisely that 
text, — a great man succeeding a degenerate king. 

7th. Anxious to confer on our stepson. Prince Eugene, 
an emphatic testimonial of our confidence in his devotion 
to ourselves, and also to provide during our absence for 
the government of our kingdom of Italy, we hereby desig- 
nate and appoint him by these presents Viceroy of our 
said kingdom. 

(Instructions for Prince Eugene.) My Cousin: In en- 
trusting you with the government of our kingdom of 
Italy, we cannot too strongly recommend that you should 
use circumspection and prudence. Our Italian subjects 
are of a more dissembling character than are French 
citizens. There is but one sure way of keeping their 
esteem and of helping them, which is to give your com- 
plete trust to no one, and to let none know what you 
think of the ministers and high officials about you. 

Make show of a good opinion of the people you govern, 
and all the more when you discover motives to the con- 
trary. A time will come when you will realize that there 
is little enough difference between one nation and an- 
other. 

Speak as little as possible; you have not sufficient 
knowledge, and your education has been too much 
neglected for you to plunge into impromptu debate. 
Learn how to listen, and remember that silence often pro- 
duces as much effect as knowledge. Don't blush to ask 
questions. Though a viceroy, you are but twenty-three 



200 THE CORSICAN [isos 

years old, and whatever flattery may tell you, people are 
perfectly aware of just how much you know, and think 
better of you for what you may become, than for what 
they know you to be. 

Don't preside over your Council of State frequently; 
you have too little knowledge to do so with success. 

9th. Lucien prefers a dishonoured woman, who bore 
him a child before they were married, to the honour of his 
name and of his family. I can only lament such an aber- 
ration in a man whom nature endowed with talents. An 
unexampled egotism has drawn him away from a splendid 
career, away from the path of duty and honour. 

28th, Piacenza: 

Nelson has sailed for America; Villeneuve's objective 
is so hard to guess that even Nelson, after victualling at 
Barbadoes, will not think himself at fault letting three or 
four days slip by, as Villeneuve cannot be attacked in the 
bay of Martinique, I calculate that Villeneuve should 
start for Ferrol between the 9th and the 29th of June, — 
before Nelson could sight him. I shall hasten my return 
by a few days, because I think that possibly Nelson's 
arrival in America might decide Villeneuve to start for 
Ferrol. 

July 13th, Fontainebleau : 

I arrived at Fontainebleau 85 hours after leaving 
Turin. I lost three hours at the Mont Cenis, and I fre- 
quently stopped one or two hours for breakfast, and one 
or two hours for dinner, on account of the Empress, which 
cost me another eight or nine hours. 

14th. Our i)jip(Ts are publisliiiig a gencalop\' of the 
House of Bonaparte which is both flat and ridiculous. 



JET. 35] A DIARY 201 

Such performances are childish, and when people ask for 
the origin of the House of Bonaparte, the answer is easy : 
' dates from the 18th of Brumaire. 

18th, Saint Cloud: 

I had foreseen in my instructions that the enemy might 
withdraw from in front of Brest; for four days they are 
reported to have been out of sight. This, together with 
the disappearance of the squadron blockading Rochefort, 
leaves little doubt as to Villeneuve's return. Admiral 
Gardner has sailed to meet Villeneuve, who will probably 
need several days to effect the concentration at Ferrol. 

20th. (To Vice-Admiral Ganteaume, at Brest.) You 
have already received the order to proceed to sea; chase 
the enemy's frigates, and ascertain their movements. If 
the enemy are out of sight and have sailed for Ferrol, or 
are well out to sea heading for Villeneuve, our orders are 
that you should proceed to Boulogne where all is ready, 
and where, if we are masters of the sea three days, you 
will enable us to ring the knell of England. 

When you receive this letter we shall already be at 
Boulogne in person, and everything will be packed on 
board. Great events are happening, or will shortly happen ; 
don't let your fleet remain useless. If the enemy weaken 
their numbers in your front, it will be because they sup- 
pose that it is Villeneuve who is to make the offensive 
move. Counter their move by taking the initiative your- 
self. Be prudent; but know when to be bold. 

31st. The news from Italy all points to war, and really 
Austria is barely keeping up appearances. 

August 3d, Boulogne: / 

Without question, Austria is getting ready for war. 



202 THE CORSICAN [1805 

6th. (To Daru.) My intention is to turn Art specially 
in the direction of subjects that would tend to perpetuate 
the memory of the events of the last fifteen years. It is 
astonishing, for instance, that I have not been able to get 
the Gobelins to give up Sacred History and to employ 
their artists on those numerous actions of all sorts that 
have won glory for the army and for the nation, the 
events that have created our throne. 

8th. The combined fleet has been in action near Ferrol; 
it has accomplished its object by effecting its junction 
with the Ferrol squadron. The fleet gave chase to the 
enemy, and for four days remained in possession of the 
field of battle. 

9th. (To Barbe Marbois.) Reassure the financiers; 
explain to them that no imprudent risk will be run; that 
matters are going too favourably at present for foolishly 
hazarding the happiness and prosperity of my people. 
Undoubtedly I shall land at the head of my array. Every- 
body must see that this is necessary; but neither I nor my 
army will disembark unless we have every chance in our 
favour. 

11th. The fleets have come to anchor at Corunna. 
Lauriston writes that they will keep on, that the captains 
and crews are all right, that Villeneuve, who is not without 
talent, is too slow in making up his mind. 

13th. (To Cambacercs.) You will read in the Monitcur 
some articles that will make you think war with Austria 
is coming. The fact is that this Power is arming. I want 
her to disarm; if she won't, I shall pay her a little visit 
with 200,000 men which she will not soon forget. How- 
ever, if any one asks you, and in your speeches, say that 



MT. 35] A DIARY 203 

you don't believe in it, because I have had ample warning. 
For it would obviously be sheer folly to make war on me. 
There is certainly not in all Europe a finer army than the 
one I command to-day. 

Pont-de-Briques : 

I have made up my mind: I will either attack Austria 
and reach Vienna before November — to face the Russians, 
should they put in an appearance; or else my will, and 
that is the word, is that there should be but one Austrian 
regiment in the Tyrol. I want to be left to conduct my 
war against England in quiet. 

Boulogne : 

(To Decres.) Send a special messenger to Ferrol. In- 
form Admiral Villeneuve of my dissatisfaction at his 
losing precious time. 

(To Villeneuve.) Inform Admiral Ganteaume of your 
departure by a special courier. Never will a fleet have 
faced risks for a more important object, and never will 
my soldiers and sailors have an opportunity of shedding 
their blood for a greater and more noble result. We might 
all of us well die content for the sake of helping on the 
invasion of the Power that has for six centuries oppressed 
France. Such are the sentiments that should animate 
you, that should animate all my soldiers. England has 
not more than four line of battle ships in the Downs. 

(To Josephine.) It is not often one hears from you. 
You forget your friends, which is wrong. I did not 
know that the waters of Plombieres had the same 
effect as those of Lethe. It seems to me that it was 
drinking these same Plombieres waters once made you 
say, "Ah, Bonaparte, if ever I die, who will there be to 



204 THE CORSICAN [1805 

love you ?" That was a very long time ago, wasn't it ? 
Everything passes, beauty, wit, sentiment, even the sun, 
all but one thing that is endless; the good I wish you, 
your happiness. I cannot be more loving even if you laugh 
at me for my pains. Good-bye, dear friend. I had the 
English cruisers attacked yesterday; everything passed 
off weU. 

20th, The weather is very unsettled; there is nmch. 
rain. The combined fleets left Ferrol with 34 sail of the 
line. 

At this moment a division of the flotilla is working 
around Cape Grisnez in action with the English. 

On the 2d Nelson was still off Cape St. Vincent; he was 
apparently short of provisions. 

22d. I believe that Villeneuve hasn't enough in him 
to command a frigate. He has no decision and no moral 
courage. Two Spanish ships have been in collision, a few 
men are sick on his own ships, add to that two days of 
unfavourable winds, an enemy's ship reconnoitring, a 
report that Nelson has joined Calder: and his plans are 
changed, when, taking these facts one by one, they amount 
to nothing. He has not the experience of war, nor the 
instinct for it. 

(To Villeneuve.) I hope you have reached Brest. 
Start; lose not a minute, and, with my combined fleets, 
sail up the Channel. England is ours. We are all ready, 
everything is embarked. Appear here for twenty-four 
hours, and all is over. 

2'M. I perceive the urgency of coming to a decision. 
In reality there is no point in demanding an explanation 
of Austria. My mind is made up. 



"iET. 36] A DIARY 205 

My fleet sailed from Ferrol on the 17th with 34 ships 
of the Hne; there was no enemy in sight. If my instruc- 
tions are followed, if it joins the Brest fleet and enters the 
Channel, there is still time; I am master of England. If, 
on the contrary, my admirals hesitate, manoeuvre badly, 
and don't carry out my plans, all I can do is to await 
winter and then cross with the flotilla; it's a risky opera- 
tion. Such being the state of things, I must attend to the 
more urgent matter. I can place 200,000 men in Germany, 
and 25,000 in the kingdom of Naples. I march on Vienna, 
and do not lay down my arms until Naples and Venice 
are mine, and -I have so increased the electorate of Ba- 
varia that I have nothing further to fear from Austria. 
I can certainly pacify Austria after this fashion during the 
course of the winter. I shall not return to Paris until I 
have touched my goal. 

My plan is to gain two weeks. I want to get into the 
heart of Germany with 300,000 men before any one sus- 
pects it. 

24th. No more news of the fleets. I continue review- 
ing the various divisions of my army. 

25th. (To Talleyrand.) My movement is begun. You 
can say that, as my frontiers are exposed, I am moving 
25,000 men to protect them. Don't show boldness, but 
absolute cowardice. It's a matter of gaining twenty days 
and of preventing the Austrians from crossing the Inn 
while I am marching on the Rhine. I did not suppose the 
Austrians would be so active, but I have made so many 
mistakes in my life, that I am past blushing for them. 

Marshal Murat will start to-morrow under the name 



206 THE CORSICAN [1805 

of Colonel Beaumont; he will proceed directly to Mainz, 
where he will change horses only. He will pass through 
Frankfort, reconnoitring Offenbach on the way; will go 
to "Wurzburg, reconnoitre it, staying a day and a half and 
having a look at the roads between that place, ISlainz, 
and the Danube, getting some notions of the debouches 
on Ulm, Ingolstadt, and Ratisbon. He will proceed from 
there to Bamberg, and must plan to reach Strassburg 
on the 11th of September. 

26th. Prince IMurat is appointed lieutenant of the 
Emperor, commander-in-chief of the army in the absence 
of His Majesty. 

29th. How small England will become when France 
gets two or three admirals who are willing to face 
death! 

31st. Everything has gone; I shall be ready on the 27th 
of September. I have given the army of Italy to Massena. 
Austria is very insolent, and is redoubling her efforts. 
My fleet has gone into Cadiz. 

September 2d. I start in one hour for Paris. 

4th, Malmaison: 

(To Vice-Admiral Decres.) Admiral Villeneuve has 
touched the limit! The thing is unthinkable! Send me 
a report covering the whole expedition. VillcneuAe is a 
low rascal who must be ignominiously cashiered. AVith- 
out plans, without courage, he would sacrifice everything 
to save his skin! 

13th, Saint Cloud: 

The Austrians crossed the Inn on the lOlh. The Elector 
of Bavaria retired to Wurzburg. 



^T.36] A DIARY 207 

My plan was to concentrate 40 or 50 battleships at 
Martinique by movements concerted from Toulon, Cadiz, 
Ferrol, and Brest; then have them return suddenly to 
Boulogne; get control of the straits for fifteen days; have 
150,000 men and 10,000 horses ready; disembark in Eng- 
land, seize London and the Thames. This plan almost 
succeeded. Had Admiral Villeneuve, instead of going 
into Ferrol, merely effected his junction with the Spanish 
squadron, and made sail for Brest to join Admiral Gan- 
teaume, my army was over, and there was an end to Eng- 
land. To carry out this plan, it was necessary to collect 
150,000 men at Boulogne, a flotilla of 4000 boats, and im- 
mense stores; get all this on board ship, and yet prevent 
the enemy from guessing my intentions: this seemed im- 
possible. If I was to succeed it was by doing the reverse 
of what seemed obvious. If 50 ships of the line were going 
to cover the passage of the army to England, all that we 
needed at Boulogne were transports; and the immense 
display of gunboats and floating batteries of various 
kinds was absolutely useless. Collecting 4000 vessels of 
this sort was opposing cannon to cannon, ship of war to 
ship of war; and the enemy were taken in. They believed 
I intended to force the passage by means of the flotilla, 
and never realized my actual plan. When, after my fleet 
had failed to carry out its manoeuvre, they perceived the 
danger they had run, fear seized on the Cabinet of Lon- 
don, and every thinking man admitted that England had 
never been so near disaster. 

18th. (To Marshal Massena, commanding in chief the 
army of Italy, at Valeggio.) You have nearly 60,000 men 
under your orders; that is one third more than ever I had. 



208 THE CORSICAN [1805 

I have full confidence in your courage and ability. ^Yin me 
some victories. 

23d. I leave for Strassburg to-morrow at half -past four 
in the morning. 

26th, Strassburg: 

The whole army is across the Rhine. We shall soon be 
manoeuvring. 

27th. Events are moving rapidly. The Austrians are 
at the debouches of the Black Forest. Heaven keep them 
there! My only anxiety is lest w^e frighten them away. 
If I am lucky enough, and the Austrians remain asleep 
three or four days more on the Iller, I shall be around 
them, and I hope that only debris will escape me. 

29th. The King of Prussia has called up his reservists. 

The w^eather is glorious; I hope I shall have a fine 
autumn. 

(To Marshal Ney.) I assume you have reached Stutt- 
gardt. Marshal Lannes is marching on Ludwigsburg; he 
can move rapidly to support you if it should be neces- 
sary. Prince jSlurat is marching on Rastadt. Keep him 
informed of everything. 

30th. Soldiers! The war of the Third Coalition has 
begun. The Austrian army has crossed the Inn, has 
broken all treaties, has attacked our ally and driven him 
from his capital. You have been compelled to rush to 
the defence of our frontiers by forced marches. But you 
arc already across the Rhine. We will not stay our march 
until we have secured the independence of the Germanic 
bo<ly, succoured our allies, and confounded the pride of 
our unjust aggressors! 



iET.36] A DIARY 209 

I shall start to-night to back up Marshal Soult and out- 
flank Ulm. Woe betide the Austrians if they let me gain 
a few more marches! I hope to concentrate my whole 
army between the Lech and the Isar. 

October 2d, Imperial Headquarters, Ettlingen: 

The enemy are marching forward and backward and 
appear to be completely puzzled. 

(To Josephine.) I am starting for Stuttgardt, which I 
shall reach to-night. Our grand manoeuvres are in full 
swing. The armies of Wiirtemberg and Baden are joining 
mine. I am in good position, and I love you. 

3d, Ludwigsburg: 

I am with the Elector (of Wiirtemberg), who has defi- 
nitely joined our side. 

4th. No new developments. The whole army is march- 
ing. The weather is splendid. I have effected my junc- 
tion with the Bavarians. 

(To Champagny.) I am at the Court of Wiirtemberg, 
and, though conducting war, I am hearing some very good 
music. The German style of singing, however, strikes me 
as rather queer. Are the reservists coming in ? How goes 
the conscription of 1806 ? 

5th. Between the 15th and 16th the whole army will 
be between Donauwerth and Ingolstadt; there never 
will have been so many troops packed into so small a 
space. 

8th, Donauwerth: 

Yesterday I crossed the Danube and the Lech. I or- 
dered Augsburg and Aichach to be attacked. Twelve 
battalions of grenadiers have been surrounded at Wer- 
tingen between the Lech and the Danube; and the greater 



210 THE CORSICAN [isos 

part of them, with their standards and artillery, has been 
captured. 

I am marching to get behind Ulm. Each day becomes 
more critical, and if the enemy make a few mistakes, the 
consequences may be disastrous. 

(To Marshal Soult.) Lannes' grenadiers will not stop 
till they reach Zusmarshausen, and to-night I shall move 
Suchet's division according to the reports that reach me 
before two o'clock. Allow no halts, and make up your 
mind to move night and day until you have captured 
their main body. The least you can send me is 3000 or 
4000 prisoners. 

4th. (To Prince Murat.) I have ordered d'Hautpoul 
to Wertingen. I shall sleep at Augsburg with the Guard, 
where I expect Marshal Soult has already arrived. Cut 
the main road from Augsburg to Ulm; push General 
Walther between Augsburg and Landsberg, and place 
Marshal Lannes so that if Augsburg is attacked at day- 
break his three divisions could get there. 

10th, Zusmarshausen: 

The weather has broken, there is much rain. The fight 
at Wertingen is very creditable to the dragoons and 
the cavalry. It's a minor success, and very gratifying 
to Murat, who was in command. I hold the enemy sur- 
rounded at Ulm; they were defeated last night by Ney's 
corps. 

No army has ever marched with greater good will, dash, 
and confidence. 

The Emperor reviewed the dragoons at Zusmarshatisen. 
He ordered Marcate, of the 4tli dragoons, who is one of 



MT.36] ^ A DIARY 211 

the bravest men in the army, to be brought before him. 
At the passage of the Lech he saved the hfe of his cap- 
tain, who, a few days previously, had reduced him to the 
ranks. His Majesty gave him the Legion of Honour. 

11th, Augsburg: 

The army of Prince Ferdinand is outflanked, and Prince 
Murat with the dragoons and the corps of Marshal Lannes 
and Marshal Ney is pursuing him. Marshal Bernadotte 
should reach Munich to-day. 

12th. The Austrian army is completely demoralized. 
Our worst regiments of chasseurs attack, with odds 
against them, heavy cuirassier regiments and rout them; 
the infantry make no stand at all. 

(To Josephine.) My army holds Munich. On one side 
the enemy are beyond the Inn; I have the other army of 
60,000 men penned on the Iller. The enemy are beaten 
and don't know what they are about. It all looks like the 
most successful, the shortest, and the most brilliant cam- 
paign ever fought. I start in one hour for Burgau. 

(To Marshal Soult.) To-night, if my information from 
Munich warrants it, I shall move one of Davout's divi- 
sions to Landberg, where it will be at your disposal. 
See that your aide-de-camps and adjutants kill their 
horses. It is not a question of defeating the enemy, but 
of not a single man escaping. When you reach Mem- 
mingen assemble your generals and tell them that I ex- 
pect, in such important circumstances, that nothing will 
be left undone that can make our success more complete 
and more absolute; that the event must be ten times more 
glorious than Marengo, and that in the most remote ages 
posterity must relate what each one of them accomplished; 



212 THE CORSICAN [I805 

that if I had intended merely to defeat the enemy we 
need not have undertaken such marches and such fa- 
tigues, but that I must capture them. 

10.30 P.M.: 

I have just received a dispatch from Prince Murat. 
The enemy hold Dim with 40,000 men. 

The Emperor was at the bridge over the Lech when 
General Marmont's corps passed. He ordered each regi- 
ment to form circle, spoke to the men about the position 
of the enemy, told them a great battle would soon be 
fought, and that he had complete confidence in them. 
He delivered these harangues under awful weather condi- 
tions. A hea\'y snow was falling, and the men were in 
mud up to their knees; but the words of the Emperor 
were so vivid that the men, as they listened, forgot their 
fatigues and hardships, and only showed impatience to get 
into battle. 
, loth, Elchingen: 

The weather is dreadful. The Emperor has not taken 
his boots off these last eight days. 

19th. (To Josephine.) I have been rather overdone, 
my good Josephine. Eight days spent in the soaking rain 
and with cold feet have told on me a little; but I have 
stayed indoors the whole of to-day and am rested. 

I have acconij)lishcd my oliject; I have destroyed the 
Austrian army l)y simple marching. I have made G0,000 
prisoners, taken 120 guns, more than 90 flags, and more 
than 30 generals. 

I am on the poiiil of niarching against the Russians; 
they arc ruined. I am satisfied with my army. I have lost 



^T.36] A DIARY 213 

only 1500 men, of whom two thirds are slightly wounded. 
Good-bye, my Josephine, a thousand friendly sentiments. 

Werneck's corps has just capitulated to Prince Murat 
at Noerdlingen. The garrison of Ulm will lay down their 
arms to-morrow at 3 in the afternoon. There are 27,000 
men, including 3000 cavalry, with 60 guns fully horsed. 

21st, Elchingen. (Battle of Trafalgar.) 

Soldiers of the Grand Army! In fifteen days we have 
fought a campaign; we have accomplished our purpose! 
We have driven the troops of the House of Austria from 
Bavaria, and reestablished our ally in the possession of 
his states. This army, that had with equal impudence 
and ostentation placed itself on our frontiers, has been 
annihilated. But what cares England for that? Her 
object is gained, — we are no longer at Boulogne. 

Of the one hundred thousand men who made up this 
army, 60,000 are prisoners; they will fill the places of our 
conscripts in the labours of the field. Two hundred guns, 
the whole train, ninety colours, all their generals are ours. 

Soldiers! you owe this success to your boundless confi- 
dence in your Emperor, to your patience in supporting 
all kinds of fatigues and privations, to your splendid 
valour. 

But we cannot rest yet. You are impatient for a second 
campaign. The Russian army, drawn by the gold of 
England from the furthest limits of the earth, must suffer 
the same fate. In this contest the honour of the French 
infantry is more especially at stake; for the second time 
the question must be decided, whether the French infantry 
is the first or the second in Europe. 



214 THE CORSICAN [I805 

There are no generals to lead them from whom I have 
any glory to win. My whole anxiety shall be to obtain 
the victory with the least possible effusion of blood: my 
soldiers are ray children! 

'■Z'id, Augsburg: 

The march of Prince Murat from Albeck to Nuremberg 
amazes us all. Fighting every inch of the way, he has 
outmarched and overtaken the enemy, who had two days 
start of him. The result of this marvellous activity has 
been the capture of 1500 wagons, 50 guns, and 10,000 
men, including those who surrendered with General Wer- 
neck, together with a great number of flags, and 18 gen- 
erals, of whom 3 were killed. 

23d. I am thoroughly rested after these last two nights, 
and am starting for Munich to-morrow. 

27th, Munich: 

I am manoeuvring against the Russian army, which is 
in considerable strength behind the Inn. In another two 
weeks I shall have 100,000 Russians, and 60,000 Austrians 
in front of me. I shall beat them, but probably not with- 
out some loss. 

30th, Braunau: 

It is snowing heavily. 

November 2, Ried: 

It has turned cold, there is a sharp frost. This dry 
weather has the advantage of being healthier and better 
for marching. 

3d, Haag: 

We arc in full march. All is going well; my enemies are 
probul>ly more worried than 1 am. 



^T.36] A DIARY 215 

5th, Linz: 

My advance guard is within six days' march of Vienna. 
Murat keeps in touch with the enemy. 

6th. (To Prince Murat.) The officer you have sent me 
is such a fool that he could explain nothing, and your 
letter gives no details, so that I can't tell whether the 
enemy are retreating or are. in position, the number of 
guns, and what part of Oudinot's division was engaged. 

13th, Burkersdorf : 

I entered Vienna this morning. 

14th, Schoenbrunn: 

Marshal Soult's corps passed through Vienna at nine 
o'clock this morning; Marshal Davout's is passing through 
now. 

15th. All our columns are in Moravia at several days' 
march from the Danube. 

(To Prince Joseph Napoleon.) I am now manoeuvring 
against the Russian army, and have not had occasion to 
be very satisfied with Bernadotte. He has lost me a day, 
and the fate of the world may depend on a day. I 
should much like to see Junot, for I am each day more 
firmly convinced that the men I have trained myself are 
far and away the best. I am still very pleased with Murat, 
Lannes, Davout, Soult, Ney, and Marmont. I intend to 
make the generals and officers who have served me well 
so rich that there can be no excuse for their dishonouring 
the most noble of professions by their greed, while draw- 
ing down on themselves the contempt of the soldiers: 

16th. (To Josephine.) I am writing to M. d'Harville 
that you can proceed to Baden, from there to Stuttgardt, 
and from there to Munich. Be gracious, but accept all 



216 THE CORSICAN [1805 

the honours: it is to you they are due, while from you 
there is nothing due save what pleases you. I am oif to 
join my advance guard. The weather is horrible, with 
much snow; all is going well, however. 

20th. Marshal Soult will move to Austerlitz. 

23, Brunn: 

(To Talleyrand.) I think the Austrians have more im- 
portant matters on hand than the abduction of the 
Electress. Supposing they did abduct her, what the devil 
do you suppose they could do with her ? I shall soon be 
at Vienna, as I have decided to give my troops a much 
needed rest. 

25th. (To the Emperor of Russia.) Sire : I am sending 
my aide-de-camp, General Savary, to convey my compli- 
ments on the occasion of your joining your army. I have 
commissioned him to express all the esteem I have for 
you, and my anxiety to find opportunities for proving 
how high I value your friendship. I hope you will receive 
him with that graciousness which is peculiarly your own, 
and will hold me as one who desires to do what may be 
agreeable to you. 

2Gth. The Emperors of Germany and of Russia are at 
Olmiitz. The Russian army is receiving reinforcements. 

28th. General Caffarelli will see that all arms are 
cleaned in his division, that the men have their cartridges; 
there will be a pitched battle. He must sjicak to his 
brigadiers and colonels, and he is to start with his division 
at one o'clock in the morning. 

Well, ISIarbot, how many moimtcd chasseurs are there 
in my Guard? Are there 1200 ? 



JET. 36] A DIARY 217 

(No, sire, I could count only 1120.) 

I was sure there were a lot missing! 

December 1st, bivouac near Austerlitz: 

Soldiers ! The Russian army is marching on you to 
avenge the Austrians. Our position is strong, and while 
they march to turn our right, they will expose their own 
flank. 

Soldiers! I will command your battalions in person, 
and I shall not expose myself if, with your usual courage, 
you throw the enemy's ranks into disorder and confusion. 
But should victory be for one moment uncertain, you 
would see your Emperor expose himself in the front rank, 
for there must be no question of victory on an occasion 
when the honour of the French infantry is at stake. 

Before to-morrow night that army will be destroyed! 

8.30 p. M. 

The marshals will join the Emperor at his bivouac at 
seven thirty, so that fresh instructions may be given 
should the enemy have developed any new movements 
during the night. 

9 P.M. 

(The Emperor) decided to go the round of the biv- 
ouacs on foot and incognito; he was nearly at once 
recognised. It would be impossible to describe the enthu- 
siasm of the soldiers when they saw him. In an instant 
blazing torches of straw were raised on a thousand poles, 
and 80,000 men were standing and acclaiming their 
Emperor, some for the anniversary of his coronation, 
others saying that the army would present the Emperor 
with a bouquet on the following day. An old grenadier 



218 THE CORSICAN ' [1805 

came up to him and said: "Sire, keep out of the firing, 
I promise you in the name of the grenadiers, that you 
need not fight otherwise than as a spectator, for we will 
bring you the standards and the guns of the Russian army 
to celebrate the anniversary of your coronation." When 
the Emperor returned to his own bivouac, a straw shanty 
without a roof that the grenadiers had built for him, he 
said: "This is the most glorious night of my life; but I 
regret that so many of these brave fellows will be lost. 
They really are my children." 

2d, Austerlitz: 

As the sun rose the plateau of Pratzen could be dis- 
tinguished, and the enemy moving down from it, hke a 
torrent rushing to the plain. 

How long will it take you to occupy the plateau of 
Pratzen? 

(Soult: Less than twenty minutes.) 

If that is so, we will wait fifteen minutes more. 

Prince Murat, Marshals Lannes and Soult start off at 
a gallop. Each marshal rejoined his corps. The Emperor 
said, as he passed along the front of several regiments: 
"Soldiers, we must finish this campaign with a thunder- 
bolt that will shatter the pride of our enemies." At once 
the shakos were hoisted on the men's bayonets, and 
acclamations of Vive VEmpereur were the real signal for 
opening the battle. 

3d. Well done, soldiers! In the battle of Austerlitz 
you have accomplished all I expecteti of your valour; you 
have crowned your eagles with immortal glory. Ay army 
of 1 ()(),()()() men conunanded by the Emperors of Russia 
and of Austria has been dispersed or captured in less than 



^T.36] A DIARY 219 

four hours. What escaped your arms was drowned in the 
lakes. Forty flags, the standards of the Russian Imperial 
Guard, 120 guns, 20 generals, more than 30,000 prisoners 
are the result of this eternally glorious battle. This 
famous infantry, that outnumbered you, was unable to 
resist your attack, and henceforth you have no rivals to 
fear. 

Soldiers ! When we have completed all that is necessary 
to secure the happiness and prosperity of our country, I 
will lead you back to France; there you will be the con- 
stant objects of my loving care. My people will hail your 
return with joy, and you will have but to say, "I was at 
the battle of Austerlitz," to hear the reply, "He is one of 
the brave!" 

The battle of Austerlitz is the most splendid of all I 
have fought. I have fought thirty battles of the same 
sort, but none in which the victory was so decisive, and so 
little in doubt. The infantry of the Guard was not sent 
into action, — the men were weeping with rage. 

To-night I am lying in a bed, in the beautiful castle of 
Count Kaunitz, and I have changed my shirt, which I 
hadn't done for a week past. I shall get two or three 
hours' sleep. 

The Emperor of Germany sent Prince Liechtenstein to 
me this morning to ask for an interview. We may possibly 
get peace before long. 

4th. (To Talleyrand.) The Emperor of Germany has 
asked me for an interview, which I have granted; it lasted 
from two till four o'clock. I will tell you what I think of 
him when I see you. He wanted to make peace on the 



220 THE CORSICAN [I805 

spot; he attacked me with fine sentiments; I defended 
myself, a manner of fighting which, I can assure you, I 
did not find very difiicult. He asked me for an armistice, 
which I granted; the conditions are to be drawn up to- 
night. 

10th, Brunn: 

(To the Empress Josephine.) It is a long time since I 
heard from you. Do the festivities of Baden, of Stuttgardt, 
and of Munich make you forget the poor soldiers who live 
splashed with mud, blood, and rain? 

I am starting very soon for Vienna. The peace is being 
negotiated. Good-bye, dear friend. 

19th. (To Josephine.) Mighty Empress, I have had 
not one single line from you since you left Strassburg. 
You have passed through Baden, Stuttgardt, and Munich 
without writing me one word. That is not very nice, not 
very loving. 

I am still at Briinn. The Russians have gone. There 
is an armistice. In a few days I shall be able to see how 
I am coming out. Deign from the height of your splen- 
dours to take a little notice of your slaves. 

20th, Schoenbrunn: 

The weather is very cold; winter is coming on, but it is 
still fine. It is curing our wounded, and setting up the 
army. We are resting, and getting into shape again. 
We have already moved a part of the arsenal of Vienna 
to Braunau, and many valuable objects. Peace will un- 
doubtedly be concluded. 

23d. (To Talleyrand.) I have received your letter 
of to-day, and see with pleasure that you expect to con- 
clude. But I expressly instruct you not to mention 



^T. 36] A DIARY 221 

Naples. The insults of the rascally Queen increase with 
each courier. Her reign has got to come to an end. I will 
therefore absolutely not have her name mentioned. 
Whatever happens, my instructions are positive, do not 
mention her. 

25th. The Emperor and Prince Charles have written 
to me. I will have an interview with Prince Charles on 
the 27th at two in the afternoon at a hunting box of the 
Emperor's, three leagues from Vienna. I wouldn't agree 
to meet Prince Charles here, because I am disinclined to 
talk business with him. At the rendezvous I have fixed, 
we can spend two hours together; one of them will go in 
dining, the other in talking war and in compliments. 

In any event, get (the treaty) signed to-morrow if 
you can. 

27th. Peace was signed at Presburg this morning at 
four o'clock between M. de Talleyrand and Prince Liech- 
tenstein and General Gyulai. 

The city and mainland of Venice, as ceded by the treaty 
of Campo Formio, are incorporated with my kingdom 
of Italy. 

(To the army.) Soldiers! for ten years I have left no- 
thing undone to save the King of Naples; he has left no- 
thing undone for his ruin. After the battles of Dego, of 
Mondego, of Lodi, he could have offered but the feeblest 
resistance. I listened to the promises of this Prince, and 
I treated him with generosity. 

When the Second Coalition was destroyed at Marengo, 
the King of Naples, first to wage an unjust war, remained 
isolated and defenceless; he implored me, and for the 
second time I pardoned him. 



222 THE CORSICAN [1805 

But a few months have passed since you were at the 
gates of Naples. I had good grounds for suspecting the 
treason hatching there, and for avenging the insults we 
had already suffered. Again I was generous. I allowed 
the neutrality of Naples; I ordered you to evacuate 
that kingdom ; and for the third time the House of Na- 
ples was saved. 

Shall we pardon for the fourth time ? Shall we trust for 
the fourth time a Court without faith, without honour, 
without judgment? No! No! The dynasty of Naples has 
ceased to reign; its continued existence is incompatible 
with the repose of Europe and the honour of my Crown. 

Forward, soldiers! Hurl into the waves, if they should 
await you, the feeble battalions of the tyrants of the seas; 
show the world how we chastise perjury. Send me word 
promptly that all Italy is subject to my laws, that the 
most lovely land on earth is freed from the yoke of the 
most perfidious of nations, that the sanctity of treaties 
is vindicated, and that the spirits of my brave soldiers, 
slaughtered in the ports of Sicily on their return from 
Egypt after escaping the dangers of shipwreck, of the 
desert, and of battle, are at last appeased. 

Soldiers! my brother will lead you; he knows my plans; 
he carries my authority; he has my complete confidence; 
encircle him with yours. 

31st, Munich: 

(To Prince Joseph.) I have reached ^lunich. I propose 
seizing the kingdom of Naples. Start for Rome forty 
hours after receiving this Jcllor; and lot your first dispatch 
inform me that you have entered Naples. 

I have asked for the hand of Princess Augusta, daughter 



^T. 36] A DIARY 223 

of the Elector of Bavaria, a very pretty girl, for Prince 
Eugene. The marriage is settled. I have asked for an- 
other princess for Jerome. 

(To Prince Eugene.) My Cousin: I have arrived at 
Munich. I have arranged a marriage for you with Prin- 
cess Augusta. The matter is public. The Princess called 
on me this morning, and we had a long talk. She is very 
pretty. I am sending you her portrait on a cup, but it 
doesn't do her justice. 



1806 

January 2d, Munich: 

Yesterday the Elector was proclaimed King. 

3d, 2 P. M. 

(To Prince Eugene.) My Cousin: Not later than 
twelve hours after the receipt of this letter you must start 
for Munich, travelling posthaste. 

7th. (To Cardinal Fesch.) On the 13th of November 
the Pope wrote me a letter of the most ridiculous, most 
insane, character: those people think I am dead! I am 
a religious man, but I am not a bigoted idiot. 

For the Pope I am Charlemagne, because like Charle- 
magne I unite the Crowns of France and of the Lombards, 
and my Empire touches the East. I will reduce the Pope 
to be the mere bishop of Rome. 

9th. I had long ago decided on a marriage between my 
son Prince Eugene, and the Princess Augusta, daughter 
of the King of Bavaria. The Elector of Ratisbon will 
marry them on the 15th of January. Princess Augusta is 
one of the most lovely and accomplished persons of her 
sex. 

14th. The betrothal and marriage of Prince Eugene 
took place yesterday. 

IDth, Stultgardt: 

I am very impatient to be back in Paris. I arrived in 
Stuttgardt last night at six o'clock. 

27th, Paris: 

I arrived in Paris yesterday at midnight and incognito. 



iET.36] A DIARY 225 

February 4th. The Enghsh Cabinet has been completely 
changed since the death of Mr. Pitt. If it is true that Mr. 
Fox is Secretary for Foreign Affairs, we could hand over 
Hanover to Prussia only as part of a general arrange- 
ment. 

(To Prince Eugene.) My Son: I am surprised that you 
have not written me one word about your journey. Your 
wife has been more polite than you. I must insist on your 
writing me enough to inform me as to where you are, 
where you are going, and what you are doing; — how do 
you get on with her, and how much do you care for 
her ? 

6th. The Emperor incloses an extract from the Bay- 
reuth Gazette for M. Talleyrand. We are threatened with 
the advance of 200,000 Russians. The Prussians must 
really be mad. M. Talleyrand must tell M. de Haugwitz 
that this sort of thing must be put a stop to. 

14th. (To Marshal Berthier.) Stick closely to your 
orders; carry out instructions promptly; have every one 
on his guard and at his post; I alone know what I have to 
do. If the Prussian Minister at Munich should call on you 
and speak of the occupation of Anspach, reply that it is 
done by my orders. Have not the Prussians occupied 
Hanover? For the rest give Prussia plenty of fine speeches. 

28th. I have 510,000 men with the colours; I have or- 
dered heavy expenditures for the ports and the increase 
of the navy; I am going to increase the army by 100,000 
men, and I am going to impose additional taxation on 
France. 

March 1st. I want to create in France a lay state. Up 
till now the world has only known two forms of govern- 



y 



22G THE CORSICAN [1806 

ment, the ecclesiastic and the military. Constantine was 
the first to establish, by means of the priests, a sort of 
civilian state; Clevis succeeded in founding the French 
monarchy only with this same support. Monks are the 
natural enemies of soldiers, and have more than once 
served to check them. The lay order will be strengthened 
by the creation of a teaching body, and even more 
strengthened by the creation of a great corporation of 
magistrates. 

I think it is unnecessary to take into consideration a 
system of education for girls, they can get no better teach- 
ing than that of their mothers. A public education does 
not suit them, for the reason that they are not called on 
to live in public; for them habit is everything, and mar- 
riage is the goal. 

If we are to estabUsh the nation, we must hasten to 
regulate by means of codes the principal fields of legisla- 
tion. The Civil Code, though imperfect, has done much 
good. Every one is familiar now with the first principles 
of conduct, and governs his property and business accord- 
ingly. 

4th. In the report on burials I see that in the average 
year there are 14,000 deaths in Paris; that is enough for 
a splendid battle. 

I have declined to commit myself to issuing tickets for 
the service in my chapel; I think the seats should go to 
the first comers. 

At Cairo, and in the desert, the mosques are inns as 
well; as many as (5000 persons may shelter and eat in 
them; or even use the fountains and water for bathing. 
Our ceremony of baptism comes from this; it could not 



>f 



MT.S&] A DIARY 227 

have arisen in our climate, in which water is not precious 
enough, — this year we are deluged. When water fails 
the Egyptians baptize with sand. As for me, it is not the 
mystery of the Incarnation that I see in religion, but the 
mystery of social order. Heaven suggests an idea of 
equality which saves the rich from being massacred by the 
poor. To look at it another way, religion is a sort of in- 
oculation or vaccine which, while satisfying our sense of 
the supernatural, guarantees us from the charlatans and 
the magicians : the priests are better than the Cagliostros, 
the Kants, and all the dreamers of Germany. 

I need a special Tribunal to judge public functionaries 
for certain infractions of the laws. There must be some 
arbitrary exercise of power in such a matter, and this 
should not be left in the hands of the Sovereign, because 
he will either abuse it or neglect to use it. I complain 
every day of the number of arbitrary acts I am made to 
commit; they would come with more propriety from such 
a tribunal, I want the State to be governed according 
to law, and that the things that have to be done despite 
the law should be legalized by the operation of a duly 
constituted body. 

Forty-eight hours after peace with England is signed, 
I will shut out foreign produce and manufactures, and 
issue a Navigation Act that will exclude all but French 
ships from our ports. There will be a tremendous outcry, 
but in six years' time we shall be in the fullest pros- 
perity. 

6th. (To Joseph.) Shoot without pity any lazzaroni 



228 THE CORSICAN [I8O6 

who indulge in dagger play. You can keep an Italian 
population down only by holy fear. Impose a war con- 
tribution of 30 millions on the kingdom. Your policy is 
too hesitating. 

8th. I shall grant the duchies of Cleves and Berg to 
Prince Murat. 

9th. (To Prince Eugene.) Instruct your engineers to 
reconnoitre the roads from Zara and from Ragusa to 
Constantinople. 

11th. In the teaching body we must imitate the classi- 
fications of military rank. I hold strongly to the idea of 
a corporation, because a corporation never dies. There 
need be no fear that I want to bring back the monks; even 
if I wanted to I couldn't. The vices and scandal that 
arose among the monks are well known; I had opportu- 
nities for forming my own opinion in that matter, having 
been in part educated by them. 

I respect what religion holds in respect; but as a states- 
man I dislike the fanaticism of celibacy; it was one of the 
means whereby the Court of Rome attempted to rivet 
the chains of Europe by preventing the cleric from being 
a citizen. Military fanaticism is the only sort that is of 
any use to mc; a man must have it to get himself killed. 
My principal object in instituting a teaching body is to 
have some means of directing political and moral opinion. 

l-ith. Holland is without an executive head; she should 
have one; I shall give her Prince Louis. Instead of a Grand 
Pensionary there will be a king. 

2()th. I think the teaching body should include about 
10, 000 persons. The essential thing is that the members 
of the University, for that is what wc will call il, should 



iET.36] A DIARY 229 

hold the exclusive privilege of teaching, and that they 
should be under an oath. 

We must succeed in making our young men neither too 
bigoted nor too sceptical; they should be in harmony 
with the conditions of the nation and of civilization. 

My usual reading after going to bed is in the old 
Chronicles of the 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries; I either 
read them or have them translated to me. Nothing is 
more curious, and so little known, as the transition from 
the ancient states to the new ones that arose on their 
ruins. The Governments had little to do with education 
in Western Europe, especially under Christianity, because 
the clergy were intrusted with it. The Governments of 
the East, however, were much concerned with the matter, 
especially before the advent of Christianity. 

If the kings of France have neglected education, is that 
a reason for following their example, in view of our am- 
bition of doing better than they did ? Emerging from the 
fog of ignorance hand in hand with the clergy, they found 
the rudiments of public instruction in existence, and were 
obliged to leave things to the Power at their side. 

I want the members of the teaching body to take, not 
a religious vow as was the case formerly, but to enter into 
a civil contract before a notary or justice of the peace. 
They will embrace Public Instruction as their predecessors 
embraced the Church, with the difference that their en- 
gagement will be less sacred, and less binding; I wish, 
however, that some ceremonial may be put into the mat- 
ter, even if it takes another name. 

27th. I am willing that the head of the Bank should be 
called Governor if that pleases him, because titles cost 



230 THE CORSICAN [isoe 

nothing. I am also willing that his salary should be as 
high as you want it, because it is the Bank that will 

pay- - i 

April 1st, Malmaison: 

(To INIarshal Berthier.) I inclose you the Moniteur; 
you will see what I am doing for you. I make only one 
condition, which is that you get married, and that is a 
condition that goes with my friendship. Your liaison has 
lasted too long; it has become ridiculous; and I am entitled 
to hope that he whom I have named my companion in 
arms, whom posterity will always place at my side, will 
not continue to show such an extraordinary example of 
weakness. I insist, therefore, that you should marry; 
otherwise I shall refuse to receive you. You are fifty years 
old, but you belong to a family that reaches eighty, and 
it is during these next thirty years that the comforts of 
marriage will be of most service to you. 

You know that you have no warmer friend than I am, 
but you also know that the first condition of my friend- 
ship is that it should be based on my esteem. Until now 
you have deserved it. Continue to do so by concurring 
in my plans, and by becoming the stem of a good and 
great family. 

14th, Saint Cloud: 

(To Prince Eugene.) My son, you arc working too 
hard; your life is too monotonous. It is all right for you, 
because work should be your pleasure; but you have a 
young wife, who will soon be a mother. I think you ought 
to arrange things so as to spend the evenings with her and 
so as to have a small social circle. AVhy don't you go to 
the theatre once a week in the State box ? You umst have 



MT.36] A DIARY 231 

a little more gaiety about you; it is necessary for the 
happiness of your wife, and your own health. One can 
get through a lot of work in very little time. I lead the 
life you lead, but my wife is old and doesn't need me for 
her amusement; and yet it is quite true to say that I 
have more pleasures and dissipation than you. A young 
woman needs amusement, especially when in that condi- 
tion. 

18th, Paris: 

The Opera costs the Government 800,000 francs a year; 
we must keep up an institution that flatters the national 
vanity. 

May 31st, Saint Cloud: 

(To the King of Naples.) You trust the Neapolitans 
too much, especially in the matter of your kitchen and 
your personal guards, which means that you are taking 
chances of being poisoned or assassinated. You have not 
known enough of my domestic arrangements to realize 
that, even in France, I have always been guarded by my 
most faithful and my oldest soldiers. 

No one should enter your room at night except your 
aide-de-camp, who should sleep in the room next to your 
bedroom; your door should be locked on the inside, and 
you should not let your aide-de-camp in before having 
recognised his voice, and he should not knock at your door 
until after closing the door of his room, so as to be sure no 
one can follow him. These precautions are important; 
they are not troublesome, and they inspire confidence, 
quite apart from the fact that actually they may save 
your life. You should regulate your way of living this 
way once and for all. Don't be obliged to adopt it in 



232 THE CORSICAN [isoo 

an emergency, which would be humiHating both for you 
and for those about you. Trust my experience. 

June 3d. 

(To the King of Naples.) I have read your speech, and 
you must permit me to say that I find some of its sen- 
tences bad. You compare the attachment of the Neapo- 
litans to you with that of the French to me; it sounds 
like an epigram! What affection do you expect from a 
people for whom you have done nothing, among whom 
you are by right of conquest, at the head of 40,000 or 
50,000 foreigners ? As a general rule the less you speak, 
directly or indirectly, of me and of France in your doc- 
uments, the better. 

5th. (To Joseph.) You will understand that if I have 
given the titles of Duke and Prince to Bernadotte, it was 
out of consideration for your wife; for I have generals in 
my army who have served me better, and in whom I place 
more reliance. 

7th. (To Joseph.) I can send you no reinforcements. 
I can't coop up my whole army in Naples. 

(To Talleyrand.) I have asked you for a report on the 
Prussian forces. I have no use for the information you 
have sent me. I need a complete statement as to the 
army of the King of Prussia. 

July 4th. Up to the present the negotiations with 
England have made no headway. By acquiring the Cape 
of Good Hope England will forever insure her control of 
India. But if England held Malta and Sicily, she would 
erect an insurmountable barrier between the Adriatic 
and Constantinople. It would ])c difficult ever to accede 
to such a condition. 



JET. 36] A DIARY 233 

13th. (To the Princess Stephanie of Baden.) I have 
received your letter. I see with pleasure that you are well. 
Love your husband, who deserves it for the affection he 
bears you. 

Treat your people kindly, for sovereigns are made for 
the happiness of their people. Accustom yourself to the 
country, and think well of everything, for nothing would 
be more impertinent than constantly to speak of Paris 
and of the splendours which you know perfectly well 
you can't enjoy; it's a French fault, don't fall into it. 
Carlsruhe is an agreeable spot. You will be loved and well 
thought of in the same degree as you love and think well 
of the country in which you are placed: it is the most 
sensitive point men have. 

19th. The Enghsh landed 5000 men in the bay of 
Saint Euphemia on the 3d of July. General Regnier 
marched on them; I don't know what resulted. It is 
probable that they had cause to repent. 

21st. (To Joseph.) I have received your letters of the 
11th and 12th of July; you then had no news of Regnier, 
and had made no movement from Naples. The art of war, 
which is so much talked about, is a difficult art; you 
have not one man among your ministers who has any 
knowledge of its elements. But, by Heaven! with 36,000 
men, don't allow one of your divisions to be crushed! 
Since you have no news from Regnier, you may infer that 
communications are cut, and that an insurrection has 
broken out. 

26th. (To Joseph.) The enemy would have to be quite 
mad to make any attempt against Naples. What! with 
36,000 men you are placed on the defensive by 8000 



234 THE CORSICAN [18O6 

English, and you give up two thirds of your kingdom to 
them! There are not two soldierlike ideas in your whole 
Council of Ministers. It would cause you useless pain if 
I were to tell you all I think. 

26th. (To Joseph.) What is the meaning of this na- 
tional guard of Naples ? It is leaning on a reed, perhaps 
even placing a weapon in the enemy's hands. Oh ! how 
little you know men ! Come, take some vigorous decision. 
The whole art of war consists in a well thought out and 
prudent defensive, and in an offensive that is bold and 
rapid. 

30th. (To Prince Joachim Murat.) Wesel can belong 
to none other than a great Power. As to the guarantee for 
your children, your arguments are pitiful and made me 
shrug my shoulders; I blush for you. I hope that you are 
a Frenchman; so will your children be; any other idea 
would be so dishonouring that I must ask you never to 
mention such a thing again. It would be a very extraor- 
dinary thing, if after all the benefits the French nation 
has showered on you, you thought of placing your chil- 
dren in such a way that they might injure France. Once 
more, never speak on that subject again, it 's too ridicu- 
lous! 

August 1st. (To the King of Holland.) Circumstances 
may make it necessary for you to form a camp of Dutch 
troops at Utrecht. 

2d. (To Prince Joachim.) Your public utterances 
must be reassuring. I can hardly express the pain your 
letters cause me; your heedlessness is enough to drive me 
to desj)air. 

Dupont's division is moving to the Inn ; you must give 



iET. 36-37] A DIARY ' 235 

it no orders of any sort. You don't know what I am 
doing. Keep quiet. With a Power hke Prussia we cannot 
proceed too gently. 

oth. The EngHsh are getting more accommodating. 
Lord Lauderdale and Lord Yarmouth are the negotiators. 
The first arrived this morning. 

12th. The illness of Mr. Fox makes the negotiations 
with England drag. 

17th, Rambouillet: 

(To the King of Naples.) It would be a good thing if the 
Neapolitan rabble attempted a revolt. So long as you 
have not made an example you will not be their master. 
Every conquered nation should revolt at least once, and 
I would view an insurrection at Naples as the father of a 
family views measles in his children, providing the patient 
is not too much weakened. It marks a healthy crisis. 

19th. (To Fouche.) If you know where General 
Dumoulin is, send for him and question him about a lady 
named Keilenfels, whom he married two months before 
abducting Mile. d'Eckhardt. I have no power over the 
judges, and there must be an exemplary punishment for 
so detestable an offence. Does this general realize that 
the Criminal Court will condemn him to the galleys ? 
How can he have been so unmindful of the laws of 
honour ? The whole business is very humiliating for the 
French army. 

23d. (To the King of Naples.) I have received your 
letter of the 13th. I regret that you anticipate never 
meeting your brother again, save in the Elysian Fields. 
It is a simple enough matter that I should not have the 
same sentiments for you at forty as I had at twelve ! 



236 THE CORSICAN [I8O6 

29th, Saint Cloud: 

The negotiations drag. The outcome is very doubtful. 

31st. (To the Princess Augusta.) My Daughter : I have 
read your letter of the 10th of August with great pleasure. 
I thank you for all your compliments. Take great care of 
yourself in your present state, and try not to give us a 
daughter. I could give you the recipe, but you wouldn't 
believe me: it is to drink a little pure wine every day. 

September 5th. The altered conditions in Europe make 
it necessary that I should seriously consider the situation 
of my armies. 

(To Marshal Berthier.) Send engineer oflScers to recon- 
noitre carefully and in all directions the debouches of the 
roads leading from Bamberg to Berlin. 

8th. (To Lucchesini.) I always carry my heart in my 
head. I shall undertake a war against Prussia only for 
the honour of my country and the security of my allies. 
If your young officers and women at Berlin want war, 
they shall have it; I am preparing to satisfy them. But 
all my ambitions turn on Italy; there is a mistress whose 
favours I will divide with none. 

10th. The attitude of Prussia is still provocative. They 
are dying to be taught a good lesson. 

(To Caulaincourt.) Have all my field glasses over- 
hauled. Send off sixty horses from my stables to-morrow, 
iiK'iiKiing eight of my siiddlehorses. Do this as secretly 
as possible. To-morrow June my baggage carts got ready. 
One of them must carry a tent and an iron bed. The tent 
must be stout, and not a grand opera tent. You can add 
a few thick carjjets. You will send off with the horses to- 
morrow my little eami)aigning chaise. 



MT.S7] A DIARY 237 

Marshal Bessieres and Prince Borghese will also send 
their horses off. When you mention the matter to these 
officers, you will say that they are accompanying me to 
the Diet at Frankfort. 

12th, Saint Cloud: 

(To the King of Prussia.) Monsieur mon Frhe : I have 
received your Majesty's letter. The friendly sentiments 
you express are all the more agreeable to me in that 
everything that has occurred these last two weeks gave 
me ground for supposing the contrary. If I am compelled 
to take up arms to defend myself, it will be with the great- 
est regret that I shall use them against Your Majesty's 
troops. 

(To the King of Naples.) Prussia is arming in ridiculous 
fashion : she will, however, soon disarm, or pay dear for it. 
Nothing could be more foolish and more hesitating than 
the conduct of the (Prussian) cabinet. The Court of 
Vienna makes great protestations of friendship, which its 
extreme weakness makes me believe in. Whatever hap- 
pens, I can and will face it out. The conscription which 
I have just levied is coming in on all sides; I shall call up 
the reserves; I am thoroughly supplied, and lack nothing. 
I may possibly take command of the Grand Army in a 
few days. It numbers about 150,000 men, enough to put 
down Vienna, Berlin, and St. Petersburg. 

The negotiations with England still continue; whether 
it is peace or war will be decided within a week. Fox is 
altogether out of it, owing to an illness that will probably 
carry him down to the grave. If I really have to strike 
once more, Europe will know that I have left Paris only 
by hearing of the complete destruction of my enemies. It 



238 THE CORSICAN [18O6 

would be as well to have your newspapers speak of me 
as at Paris, occupied in amusements, in hunting, and in 
negotiating. 

17th. I have just got the news of the death of Mr. Fox. 
In the present state of things, it is the death of a man 
who is regretted by two nations. 

19th. The situation is becoming more critical daily. 
My Guard has started by stage, to travel from Paris to 
Mainz in six days. 

24th. (To Joachim Murat, Grand Duke of Berg.) 
Send your horses to Bamberg rapidly. Wait for me at 
Mainz, which you can leave one hour after my arrival, 
so that you can reach Bamberg on the 1st of October at 
noon. 

28th, Mainz: 

I arrived this morning. 

29th. There is no declaration of war yet. 

Midnight : 

(To Marshal Augereau.) Do not unmask your move- 
ment. 

30th. (To the King of Wurtemberg.) I should like to 
see Your Majesty. I shall be at Wiirzlnirg on the 2d of 
October, at Bamberg on the 5th. I should much hke, under 
existing circumstances, to have an hour's conversation. 
I would have been glad to await Your Majesty's visit at 
Mainz, if I were not the most comjiletc slave, compelled 
to obey a heartless master: the calculation of events and 
the nature f>f tilings. 

As for myself. Your INIajesty must see that no man is 
less able than I to make j)reeise arrangements at this 
moment. Not that war is declared yet; I have not heard 



^T.37] A DIARY 239 

that M. Laforest has left Berlin; I am told that a Prussian 
officer has been sent to me by the King of Prussia with a 
letter; for three days past I have been hearing about him, 
but I have not yet seen him. 

October 1st. I start to-night at nine. 

3d, Wiirzburg: 

I reached Wiirzburg yesterday. 

5th. The armies are in touch. We shall soon have 
fighting. The King of Wurtemberg came here two days 
ago. He can't make heads or tails of what is going on. 
The Duke of Brunswick has written him a very pernicious 
letter, to the tune of the German nationalistic excitement. 
All my columns are marching. I start to-night for Bam- 
berg. 

(To Marshal Soult.) I am debouching in Saxony with 
my whole army in three columns. You lead the right; 
half a day's march behind you is the corps of Marshal 
Ney, and one day's march behind you are 10,000 Bava- 
rians; all of which totals more than 50,000 men. Marshal 
Bernadotte leads the centre ; behind him Marshal Davout's 
corps is marching, with the greater part of the Reserve 
Cavalry and my Guard; which totals over 70,000 men. 
(Bernadotte) will debouch through Kronach. The 5th 
corps leads my left, and is followed by the corps of Mar- 
shal Augereau. They will come through Coburg and 
Saalfeld, and will make upwards of 40,000 men. The day 
you reach Hof , the rest of the army will be in line with 
you. I shall hold myself in general at the centre. With so 
great a preponderance in numbers, and so closely concen- 
trated, you will realize that my purpose is not to jump at 
chances but to attack the enemy, wherever they choose 
to make a stand, with double their numbers. 



240 THE CORSICAN [isoc 

My information to-day seems to show that if the 
enemy are mana?uvring, it is against my left; their prin- 
cipal forces appear to be at Erfurt. I cannot urge you too 
strongly to communicate with me very frequently, and to 
inform me of all you can hear from the Dresden road. 
You can see what a splendid manoeuvre it would be to 
move towards that city in a battalion square of 200,000 
men. All this demands some skill, however, and some 
happenings. 

10 p. M. : 

I am leaving for Bamberg. All our corps are marching. 
I am in excellent health, and in great hopes of soon 
bringing this business to a good end. 

6th. Soldiers! The orders were already issued for your 
return to France. Triumphal festivities awaited you. 
But just as we were lulled by a sense of false security, new 
plots were brewing under the mask of friendship and of 
alliance. Cries of war have been raised in Berlin. These 
two months past we are daily more loudly challenged. 

The same faction, the same vertigo, that carried 
Prussia to the plains of Champagne fourteen years ago, 
dominate their councils. They want us to evacuate 
Gernumy at the sight of their arms. Fools! Let them 
learn that it would be a thousand times more easy to de- 
stroy the great capital than to smirch the honour of the 
children of the great nation and its allies! Then their 
schemes were dashed to pieces; in the plains of Cham- 
pagne they found only death, defeat, and shame. But 
the lessons of experience fade away, and with some men 
hatred and jealousy never die. 

Soldiers! Not one of you would wish to regain France 



iET.37] A DIARY 241 

by any other path than that of honour; we must return 
only under triumphal arches. Forward, then! Let the 
Prussian army meet with the same fate as it did fourteen 
years ago. 

It is really quite amusing that the Prussians should 
have handed me their ultimatum on the 8th; and that I, 
without knowing this, should have entered Bayreuth and 
begun my movements on the 7th. 

(To the King of Bavaria.) I have at last received the 
King of Prussia's letter. I cannot send you his actual 
text; it is a rhapsody copied from the English newspapers 
and twenty pages long. But I send you the note which 
M, de Knobelsdorf has this very moment handed me. 
My answer you will find in my proclamation to the army. 
It is therefore the King of Prussia who has declared war! 
I am truly thankful for his forethought in thus proving 
mine to be the right cause in the face of all Europe. 

8th. The Queen of Prussia is with the army, dressed 
as an amazon, wearing the uniform of her dragoon regi- 
ment, writing twenty letters a day to feed the fire. Next 
to her is Prince Louis of Prussia, a young prince full of 
courage, who expects to win great glory from the incidents 
of war. Following the example of these two high person- 
ages all the Court clamours : War ! war ! 

Kronach : 

I have reached Kronach, which I shall leave to-night. 
The army is marching rapidly. 

3.30 P.M.: 

(To Marshal Soult.) Let me hear from you more fre- 
quently; in a combined manoeuvre like this it is only by 



24^2 THE CORSICAN [1806 

very frequent communication that we can achieve the 
best results. We are at the crisis of the campaign; they 
did not anticipate what we are attempting to do; woe 
betide them if they hesitate and if they lose a single day. 

Jf. p. M. : 

(To Marshal Lannes.) My Cousin: I am displeased 
at your having entered Coburg yesterday : your instruc- 
tions were to occupy it this morning, and in force. 

March as rapidly as you can on Grafenthal. Marshal 
Augereau will follow you at half a day's march. I myself 
shall reach Lobcnstein at 2 a. m. 
. 10th, Ebersdorf, 5 a.m.-. 

On the 9th the Prussian general Tauenzien, with 6000 
Prussians and 3000 Saxons, was attacked by the advance 
guard of the army commanded by the Grand Duke of 
Berg, and was routed. 

(To the Grand Duke of Berg.) General Rapp has 
brought me your good news of last night. Marshal 
Lannes will attack Saalfeld to-morrow. 

Your chief task to-day is to make use of yesterday's 
success for picking up all the prisoners and information 
you can; then to reconnoitre Auma and Saalfeld, so as to 
learn the movements of the enemy positively. 

(To Marshal Soult.) Here is what I can make out: 
that the Prussians intended to attack, and thai their left 
was to debouch by Jena, Saalfeld, and Col>urg. Whatever 
the enemy may do, I shall be delighted if they attack me; 
if they let me attack them, I shall not miss them; if they 
turn off towards Magdcl^urg, you will be at Dresden be- 
fore them. I lu)pe very nuicli for a battle. After a battle 
I can get to Dresden or Berlin before them. 



^T. 37] A DIARY 243 

Schleiz, 5.30 P.M.: 

The sound of the guns can no longer be heard. 

6 p. M. : 

(To Marshal Soult.) My Cousin: I believe that 
Marshal Lannes attacked Saalfeld to-day. There has 
been a brisk cannonade, but it lasted only two hours; 
I don't know the result. As soon as I am secure on my 
left things will get lively. 

12th, Auma, 4 a.m..- 

Order for Marshal Davout to march on Naumburg as 
rapidly as he can. 

Marshal Lannes is marching on Jena. 

(To Marshal Lannes.) I have received, with great 
pleasure, the news of your action on the 10th. I had heard 
the sound of the guns and moved a division in your direc- 
tion to support you. The death of Prince Louis of Prussia 
seems like a punishment of Heaven, for he is the real 
author of the war. 

All the intercepted correspondence we get shows that 
the enemy have lost their heads. They are debating night 
and day, and don't know what decision to come to. You 
perceive that my army is massed, and that I am on their 
road to Dresden and Berlin. Our skill now will consist 
in attacking everything we meet, so as to beat the enemy 
in detail and while they are concentrating. When I say 
that we must attack all we meet, I mean that we must 
attack everything that is on the march and not in an 
advantageous position. 

8.30 a.m.: 

I am getting into the saddle en route for Gera. The 
Prussians have hardly a chance left. Their generals are 



2U THE CORSICAN (I8O6 

perfect idiots. It is inconceivable how the Duke of 
Brunswick, who has a reputation, can direct the opera- 
tions of his army in so ridiculous a fashion. 

13th, Gera, 2 a.m..- 

(To the Empress.) I am to-day at Gera, my dear 
friend; my affairs go on prosperously, and as I had hoped. 
With the aid of God, things will assume a terrible com- 
plexion, within a few days, for the poor King of Prussia, 
whom I pity personally because he is a good man. The 
Queen is at Erfurt with the King. If she wants to see a 
battle, she can indulge that cruel whim. I am wonderfully 
well, fatter than when I started, and yet I get over twenty 
or twenty-five leagues each day, on horseback, in car- 
riages, in every sort of a way. I go to bed at eight, I am 
up again at midnight ; sometimes it occurs to me that you 
have not yet gone to bed! 

Within three or four days we shall fight a battle which 
I shall win. It will take me to the El])e, perhaps to the 
Vistula. There I will engage a second battle, which I 
shall also win. Then . . . then . . . but that's enough, 
and we must not romance. Clarke, in one month j^ou will 
be governor of Berlin, and you will be quoted as having 
been in one year and in two different wars, governor of 
Vienna and of Berlin. 

(Bulletin.) Consternation reigns at Erfurt where the 
King, the Queen, and the Duke of Brunswick still are, 
liul wliili' they deliberate the French army is marching. 
Ever since tiie cani{)aign ojiened the weather has been 
splendid, the country full of supplies, the soldiers healthy 
and strong. The men cover ten leagues in a day's march, 
without a straggler; the army has never been so fit. 



^T.37] A DIARY 245 

9 a.m.: 

(To Murat.) At last the veil is torn; the enemy 
have begun their retreat towards Magdeburg. March as 
rapidly as possible with Bernadotte's corps on Dornburg, 
a big village between Jena and Naumburg. Above all, 
get your dragoons and cavalry there. 

All the heavy cavalry and General Klein's command 
are marching on Jena. I think that the enemy will either 
attempt to attack Lannes at Jena or else slip away. If 
they should attack Lannes, you can support him from 
Dornburg. I shall reach Jena at two in the afternoon. 

10 A.M.: 

We have caught the Prussian army in the act, and 
have turned its flank. 
V At night, bivouac near Jena : 

(To Marshal Ney.) The enemy are between Weimar 
and Jena; push your corps on as far as you can get, so as 
to reach Jena early to-morrow. 

14th, Jena: 

Marshal Augereau commands the left. 

At dawn Marshal Lannes will have his artillery in the 
intervals and in the order of battle in which he passed 
the night. 

The Guard will be behind the plateau, in five lines. 

The Emperor will give the signal; every one must be 
ready at dawn. 

Marshal Ney will be placed at the edge of the plateau, 
so as to move on Marshal Lannes' right as soon as the 
village is carried, and we get enough space to deploy. 

Marshal Soult will debouch on the right. 

15th, 5 ^. it/.- (To Josephine.) Dear friend: I have 



246 THE CORSICAN [18O6 

carried out some splendid mana?uvres against the Prus- 
sians. I won a great victory yesterday. They numbered 
150,000 men; I made 20,000 prisoners, captured 100 
guns and some flags. I was faced by the King of Prussia; 
I nearly captured him and the Queen as well. I have 
bivouacked these last two days, and am in splendid health. 

The Duke of Brunswick, General Ruchel are killed; 
Prince Henry of Prussia is severely wounded; many gen- 
erals and officers of rank are wounded. The losses of the 
French army are comparatively slight. Marshal Davout, 
at Naumburg, prevented the enemy from passing. He 
fought there all day and routed over 60,000 men. His 
army corps covered itself with glory. The Queen of 
Prussia was pursued by a squadron of hussars; she had to 
seek refuge in Weimar, and left only three hours before 
our advance reached the place. 

16th, Weimar, 1 a.m.-. 

(To Marshal Davout.) My Cousin: I congratulate you 
with all my heart on your splendid conduct. I regret the 
brave men you have lost; but they are dead on the field of 
honour. Inform your corps and your generals of my sat- 
isfaction. They have forever acquired a claim on my 
esteem and my gratitude. 

Erfurt has capitulated; there are 14,000 prisoners, 
among them the Prince of Orange and Field ^Marshal 
Moellendorf. 

17th. The Emperor is quartered in the palace of 
W'cimar, occupied but a few days previously by the 
(^ueen of Prussia. It appears that what was saitl of her 



^T.37] A DIARY 247 

is true : she was here to fan the flames of war. She is a 
pretty woman, but lacking sense, and incapable of fore- 
seeing the consequences of what she is doing. 

19th. The first object of the campaign is accomplished; 
Saxony, Westphalia, and all the country on the left bank 
of the Elbe, are freed from the presence of the Prussian 
army. That army, defeated and relentlessly pursued for 
more than fifty leagues, is now without guns, without 
transport, without generals, reduced to less than a third 
of what it was a week ago; and, which is even worse, it 
has lost its morale and self-confidence. 

20th. The Grand Duke of Berg, with Marshals Soult 
and Ney, has invested Magdeburg. 

(To Marshal Soult.) Don't let yourself be blinded by 
good fortune, and keep on your guard. 

21st. (To Marshal Bernadotte.) The Emperor is ex- 
tremely dissatisfied at your not carrying out the order you 
received yesterday to march on Kalbe. His Majesty 
reminds you in this connection that you took no part in 
the battle of Jena. The Emperor has made up his mind 
to let you know his views on the matter, because he is not 
accustomed to have his manoeuvres spoiled by empty 
disputes of etiquette. 

22d, Dessau: 

I am across the Elbe; all is going well. 

Immediately after the battle the King of Prussia sent 
me an aide-de-camp with a letter. To-day he has sent me 
Marquis Lucchesini. I had him stopped at the outposts, 
and sent Duroc to find out what he wanted. I am await- 
ing his return. The King seems to have made up his mind 
to make peace. I am willing; but that will not hinder my 



248 THE CORSICAN [isoc 

going to Berlin, which I expect to reach in four or five 
days. 

23d, Wittenberg: 

(To ^Marshal Davout.) Order your march so as to 
enter Berlin on the 25th at noon. 

(To Marshal Bernadotte.) I have your letter. It is not 
my habit to recriminate over the past, since it cannot 
be altered. Your corps was not in the battle, and that 
might have proved disastrous. 

25th, Potsdam: 

(Bulletin.) The Emperor reached Potsdam yesterday, 
and took up his quarters in the Palace; in the evening 
he visited the new palace of Sans Souci, and all the posi- 
tions around Potsdam. He remained some time in the 
room of the great Frederick, which is still furnished and 
hung as it was when he died. 

26th. (To the army.) We have reached Potsdam and 
Berlin even before the renown of your victories. We have 
captured 60,000 prisoners, 65 flags, including those of the 
Prussian Royal Guard, 6000 cannon, 3 fortresses, more 
than 20 generals. And yet more than half of you can com- 
plain of having had no opportunity of firing a shot. 

Soldiers! The Russians boast that they are marching 
against us, we will move to meet them, we will spare them 
half the journey! 

The Emperor has visited the tomb of Frederick the 
Great. He has presented to the Invalides at Paris, Freder- 
ick's sword, his ribbon of the Black Eagle, his General's 
sash, and the standards carried by his Guard in the Seven 
Years' War. 



^T.37] A DIARY 249 

29th, Berlin: 

Prince Hohenlohe has surrendered with 16,000 infantry, 
4000 cavalry, 45 colours, 84 guns; Prince Augustus of 
Prussia, the Prince of Schwerin are prisoners, with other 
Prussian generals and the Royal Guard. 

30th. Up to the present we have 150 flags, among them 
those embroidered by the hands of the lovely Queen, a 
beauty as fatal to the Prussians as Helen was to the 
Trojans. 

31st. (To the Grand Duke of Berg.) My Brother: I 
congratulate you on the capture of Stettin; if your light 
horse can capture fortresses in this fashion, I shall have 
to disband my engineers and melt down my siege guns. 
But you have done nothing yet. You still have General 
Bllicher and the Duke of Weimar to capture; they have 
over 25,000 men. 

November 1st. (To Lannes.) Do you suppose that I 
don't know that your corps has made forced marches, and 
that you have commanded it with the greatest skill ? 
You are big babies, all of you. At the right time and place 
I will give you and your corps the proofs of my satisfac- 
tion with your conduct. 

2d. Kiistrin surrendered yesterday. We captured 80 
guns and 4000 prisoners. 

3d. (To Fouche.) Send for Koscziusko; tell him to 
start posthaste to join me, but secretly and under an 
assumed name. G'we him what money he needs. Send 
me all the Poles you can. 

Our outposts have reached the Polish border. I there- 
fore need troops; but unless reinforcements reach me 



250 THE CORSICAN [1806 

quickly they will be too late. The Russians are still far 
away, but an encounter is possible. 

6th, 9 I'.M.: (To the Empress.) I have received the 
letter in which you appear vexed about what I say of 
women. It is true that I hate intriguing women above all 
things. I am accustomed to kind, soft, amiable women; 
they are those I am fond of. If they have spoiled me it 
is not my fault but yours. But you will see that I have 
been kind to one who has shown herself good and kind- 
hearted, Mme. de Hatzfeld. When I showed her her hus- 
band's letter, she sobbed and, with the greatest emotion 
and naivete, said: "Yes, that is his writing." To hear 
her reading it was pitiful. It was most painful, and I said 
to her: "Well, Madam, throw the letter in the fire; then 
it will no longer be in my power to harm your husband." 
She burned the letter and seemed very happy. Her hus- 
band has not been troubled since; two hours later it would 
have been all up with him. So you see that I do like 
women who are good, kind, and naive; but then they are 
the only ones who are like you. 

9th. (To the Empress.) Good news! Magdeburg has 
surrendered; and at Lubeck,on the 7th, 20,000 men, who 
for a week had escaped, were taken prisoners. So the 
whole army is captured ; Prussia has not 20,000 men left 
beyond the Vistula. 

Liibeck was stormed by the Grand Duke of Berg, the 
Prince of Ponte Corvo, and Marshal Soult. The slaughter 
was awful. On the following day what was left of Blii- 
cher's corps, 18,000 men, surrendered. 

11th. (To Sultan Selim.) Most High, Most Excellent, 



Ml. 37] A DIARY 251 

Most Powerful, Most Magnanimous and Invincible 
Prince, great Emperor of the Mussulmans, Sultan Selim, 
my very dear aud perfect friend, may God increase your 
glory and power! 

On the very day when our enemies summoned you to 
give up Moldavia and Wallachia, on the plea of my dis- 
asters, I was gaining a memorable victory at Jena, and 
marching to further triumphs. The troops of Prussia are 
either destroyed or captured. The whole country is mine. 
With 300,000 men I am pursuing my successes and I will 
not make peace until you are once more in possession of 
the Principalities. Take courage. Fate has declared that 
your Empire is to stand; it is my mission to save it; and I 
divide with you the fruits of my victories. The moment 
has come when the Sublime Porte must recover its energy 
and send forth its armies. I know that the Russians are 
withdrawing their forces ; they are marching on me ; I will 
seek them out forthwith. 

Given in our Imperial Palace of Berlin, this 11th day of 
November, 1806. 

21st. The British Isles are declared in a state of block- 
ade. All commerce and correspondence with the British 
Isles are hereby forbidden. 

(To Champagny.) I have read some extremely bad 
stanzas that are being sung at the Opera. Is there a de- 
liberate intention, then, in France, to degrade literature? 
Convey my displeasure to M. de Lucay, and forbid any- 
thing being sung at the Opera that is unworthy of that 
great theatre. An obvious thing to have done was to 
have ordered a fine cantata to celebrate the 2d of Decem- 



252 THE CORSICAN [isoe 

ber. As literature belongs to your department, I think 
you had better look after it, for really what they are 
singing at the Opera only degrades it. 

23d. The Emperor spent the day in reviewing the 
infantry of the 4th Corps. He made promotions and dis- 
tributed rewards in all the regiments. 

I assembled the officers and men ; I asked them who had 
done well ; and I promoted those who could read and write. 

25th, Kiistrin: 

I hope to get news from the outposts to-day. 

27th, INIiseritz, 2 a. m. .- 

(To Josephine.) I am entering Poland; this is its first 
city; to-night I shall be at Posen. After that I will send 
to have you come to Berlin, so that you may reach there 
the very day I return. My health is good; the weather 
is rather bad, we have had rain for three days. 

Yesterday the Grand Duke of Berg was following hard 
on the Russians, and was one day's march from Warsaw. 

29th, Posen: 

The Poles are exceedingly well disposed. They are 
forming corps of horse and foot with great activity. They 
show eagerness to recover their independence: the nobility, 
clergy and peasants are all of the same mind. 

December 1st. To-morrow I go to a ball given me by the 
nobility. All the l;uli(\s have been ])rcscnted to me; it is 
the first time since the deslniclion of rt»l;iiul that tlit\y 
have attended an official function. All the educated 
people speak French, and the peasants love France. 



JET. 37] A DIARY 253 

' The Grand Duke of Berg holds Warsaw with 100,000 
men. 

2d. (To the Grand Duke of Berg.) The Poles who 
show so much prudence, who ask for so many conditions 
before declaring themselves, are egotists who cannot be 
kindled to enthusiasm for love of their country. I am old 
in my knowledge of men. My greatness does not depend 
on the help of a few thousand Poles. It is for them to 
take advantage of the present circumstances with enthu- 
siasm; it is not for me to take the first step. 

I know Poniatowski better than you do, because I 
have followed Polish affairs these last ten years. He is 
even more flighty than the average Pole, which is saying 
a good deal. He is not much trusted at Warsaw. All the 
same he is a man with whom to keep on good terms. 
As for what he has said about making Czartorivski king, 
that is merely to give himself importance. Russia, let me 
assure you, has never dreamed of giving up Poland. 

For the rest I approve your measures. Put patriots in 
office, men who are willing to act, and do not dwell on 
the mathematical calculation of the reestablishment of 
Poland. Have it clearly understood that I have not come 
to beg for a throne for one of my own people; I have 
plenty of thrones to distribute among my family. 

(Decree.) Every year on the anniversaries of the battles 
of Austerlitz and of Jena there shall be held a concert, pre- 
ceded by a speech on the qualities necessary to a soldier, 
and by an eulogy of those who died. A competition shall 
be held to determine the best ode and the best and most 
fitting composition. In the speeches and in the ode it 
is expressly forbidden to mention the Emperor. 



254 THE CORSICAN [18O6 

(To Josephine.) This is the anniversary of Auster- 
litz. I have been to a ball; it is raining; I am well. I love 
you and want you. The weather has not yet turned cold. 
All these Polish women are French. There is only one 
woman in the world for me; do you know her by any 
chance ? I could draw her portrait; but I should have to 
flatter too much before you would recognise her; how- 
ever, truth be told, my heart could only find nice things 
to say to you. These solitary nights are very long. 

5th. (To the King of Naples.) Send me all the Polish 
officers you have. Poland is in full insurrection. Troops 
are being raised on all sides. 

9th. (To the Gr»nd Duke of Berg.) Have proclama- 
tions printed urging the soldiers of Prussian and Russian 
Poland to desert and to range themselves under their own 
national flag, and have them distributed everywhere by 
our outposts. 

10th. Boots! Boots! Give your most prompt attention 
to the matter. 

(To Josephine.) I am pretty well. The weather is very 
changeable, I love you, and want you badly. Good-bye, 
dear friend; I shall write to you to come with at least as 
much pleasure as you will come. 

12th. (To Champagny.) Literature needs encourage- 
ment. You are its official head. Propose some means of 
shaking up the various branches of literature that have so 
long distinguished our country. 

7 P.M.: Paer, the famous musician, is here with his 
wife and Briz/i; lliov perform a little music for me 
every evening. 

14th. (To the (irand Duke of Berg.) With such a 



^T.37] A DIARY 255 

large force of cavalry you should be able to cut the road 
from Pultusk to Koenigsberg, and inflict some damage 
on the enemy's rearguard. Your cavalry should crush 
them, and throw them into utter confusion, and give 
them the idea that you have 100,000 mounted men, which 
is what you had better say openly. Always speak of the 
cavalry as 100,000 men, and of the infantry as 500,000. 
If the enemy retire, my infantry will be useless; we can 
only get at them with cavalry, and that is your business. 

15th. (To Cambaceres.) My Cousin: I have received 
your letter of the 4th of December. I have also the 
pamphlet on Poland, which appears to be fairly good. 
See if M. d'Hauterive couldn't write a little book under 
the title : The three partitions of Poland ? You need not give 
away 700 copies; that is unnecessary; better sell them. 

(To Louis, King of Holland.) Send me all English re- 
ports that are circulating in your trading centres. The 
blockade will ruin many commercial cities, Lyons, Am- 
sterdam, Rotterdam; but we must get past this stage of 
uncertainty; we must be done with the thing. Keep 
your warships fully equipped, as that keeps the Enghsh 
at work. All my efforts are on land; it is with my armies 
that I expect to reconquer the Cape and Surinam. Come, 
show energy ! Energy ! It is only by defying the opinions 
of the weak and the ignorant that one can achieve the 
happiness of a nation. 

19th, Warsaw: 

I arrived at Warsaw at midnight. 

23d, near Okunin: 

Order for Marshal Lannes' light cavalry to cross the 
bridge over the Narew to-night. 



256 THE CORSICAN [1806 

29th, Golymin: 

(To Jose{)hine.) Only one line, dear friend; I am in 
a wretched barn. I ha\'e defeated the Russians; I have 
captured their baggage, 30 guns, and 6000 prisoners. 
But the weather is awful; it is raining and the mud is 
up to our knees. In a couple of days I shall be (back) 
at Warsaw and will write. 

(To Cambaceres.) You will see from the bulletins the 
brilliant successes we have obtained over the Russian 
army. Had it not been for inclement weather they 
would have been even greater. I think the campaign 
is over. The enemy have retired behind swamps and 
deserts. I am going into winter quarters. 

31st, Pultusk: 

(To Josephine.) I laughed heartily over your last 
letter. You exaggerate the attractions of the beauties of 
Poland. 

(To Fouche.) Raynouard might easily produce good 
work if only he could get well into the spirit of the tragedy 
of the Ancients: Fate pursued the family of the Atridae, 
and the heroes were guilty yet not criminal; they shared 
the crimes of the gods. In modern narrative this idea 
could not be employed, but only the force of circum- 
stances in its stead; a policy may lead to a catastrophe 
without any real crime being committed. 

If Chenier indulges in the least sally I shall order him 
sent to the island of Sainte iSlarguente. The time for 
joking has passed. Let him behave; that's the only ])rivi- 
lege he's got. 



1807 

, January 2d, Warsaw: 

(To the Countess Walewska.) I saw only you, I ad- 
mired only you, I desire only you. A quick answer will 
calm the impatient ardour of N. 

3d. (To Josephine.) I have received your letter, dear 
friend. Your disappointment touches me, but one must 
submit to circumstances. It is a very great distance from 
Mainz to Warsaw; so that events must allow of my re- 
turning to Berlin before I write to you to come there. 
I am inclined to think you had better go back to Paris, 
where your presence is necessary. I am well; the weather 
is wretched. 

4th. (To Countess Walewska.) Was I mistaken? 
You have deprived me of sleep! Oh, grant a little joy, 
a little happiness, to a poor heart that is ready to adore 
you. Is it so difficult to obtain an answer .? You owe me 
two. N. 

6th. (To the Princess Augusta.) I have received your 
letter. For your sake I have given orders that the House 
of Strelitz is to be treated considerately. Your grand- 
mother will not be disturbed, and yet your aunt, the 
Queen of Prussia, has behaved so badly! But she is so 
unfortunate to-day, that I mustn't speak of her any more. 
Write to me soon that we have got a big boy, and if you 
should give us a daughter, let us hope she will be as 
lovable and as good as you are. Your affectionate father. 

12th. (To the Countess Walewska.) Oh come! come! 



258 THE CORSICAN [I807 

All your wishes shall be complied with. Your country 
w^ill become more dear to me if you take compassion on 
my poor heart. N. 

14th. Until the affairs of Poland are definitely regu- 
lated by a treaty of peace, the administration shall be 
entrusted to a Provisional Government. 

15th. (To the Countess Walewska.) Marie, my sweet 
Marie, my first thought is for you, my first wish is to see 
you again. You w ill come again, will j'ou not ? You have 
promised that you would. If not, the eagle would wing 
its way to you ! 

23d. (To Josephine.) It is out of the question that I 
should allow women to undertake such a journey: bad 
roads, unsafe, and quagmires. Go back to Paris; be gay 
and happy; perhaps I shall soon be back myself. I 
laughed over your saying that you had taken a husband 
to live with him; in my ignorance I supposed that the 
wife was made for the husband, the husband for his 
country, his family, and fame; excuse my ignorance, one 
is always learning at the hands of our pretty women. 

Good-bye, dear friend; pray believe that I regret not 
being able to send for you; say to yourself: Here is a proof 
of how precious I am to him. 

27th. (To Baron La Bouillerie.) I wish you to buy 
5 per cents when they fall below 78, and that no one 
should know it is you buying. 

The enemy seem to be manoeuvring with a view to 
holding Elbing. Such being the case, I am raising my 
camps to make a countermarch. It appears that General 
Bcnnigsen commands the army now. 



2BT.37] A DIARY 259 

28th. (To the King of Naples.) Monsieur mon Fr ere : It 
was not without keen emotion that I received the letter 
of Your Majesty and your good wishes for my happiness. 
Your destiny, my successes, have placed vast countries 
between us: you in the south touch the Mediterranean; I 
touch the Baltic; but by the combination of our efforts 
we tend towards the same result. Your kingdom is rich 
and populated ; by the grace of God it will become power- 
ful and happy. Accept my most sincere wishes for the 
prosperity of your reign, and always rely on my fraternal 
affection. 

30th. I am starting, in the saddle, at 5 a. m. 

Orders for headquarters to move immediately, to reach 
Makow to-night. 

Przasnysz : 

As the enemy are pushing the Prince of Ponte Corvo's 
corps, we must keep close to the wind so that they can't 
get away again. We shall have news to-night. 

31st, Willenberg: 

The whole army is marching. 

February 1st. (To the Empress.) Your letter of the 
20th of January has pained me; it is altogether too de- 
pressed. The mischief is that you've got no religion! 
You say that happiness makes your joy : that is not gener- 
ous; you should say the happiness of others makes my 
joy: that is not conjugal; you should say, the happiness 
of my husband makes my joy: that is not maternal; you 
should say the happiness of my children makes my joy; 
and since the nations, your husband, your children can- 
not be happy without a little glory, you must not say fie 
to it. Josephine, your heart is excellent, but your mind is 



260 THE CORSICAN [1807 

weak; your instinct is sure, but your reasoning not alto- 
gether so. 

Come, no more quarrelling; I want you gay and con- 
tented with your lot, and obeying not with tears and 
scolding, but with a joyous heart, and not unhappily. 
Good-bye, dear friend, I am off to my outposts to-night. 

I am manoeuvring against the enemy; unless they 
retreat promptly I may possibly cut them off. 

2d. I have just finished reading Lacretelle's History 
of the Direcioire. 

3d, Passenheim: 

Up to the present we keep pushing the enemy back. 
One can see that our movement has alarmed them; and 
that they are trjdng to meet it. The country reports from 
all sides are to the effect that they are in full retreat. 

5th, SchHtt: 

I am pursuing the Russian army. I have driven it from 
every position. I shall throw it back beyond the Xiemen. 

7th, Eylau: 

Parts of the two armies passed the night of the 6th to 
the 7th in each other's presence. The enemy retreated 
during the night. 

At dawn the French advance guard started and got 
into contact with the enemy's rearguard between the 
wood and the little town of Eylau. Several regiments of 
the enemy's light infantry that held it were attacked and 
in part captured. We soon reached Eylau aiul found the 
enemy in position. 

9th. We hail a great battle yesterday; victory is mine, 
but my losses are very heavy; the enemy's losses, which 



^T.37] A DIARY 261 

were heavier, do not console me. The great distance at 
which I find myself makes my losses even more acutely 
felt. 

(Bulletin.) A mile or two from the little town of 
Preussich-Eylau is a plateau that commands the debouche 
from the plain. Marshal Soult ordered the 46th and 18th 
of the line to carry it. The troops penetrated the town 
of Eylau. The enemy had placed several regiments in the 
church and cemetery. They made a desperate resistance 
at this point, and, after a struggle most destructive for 
both sides, at ten o'clock at night we remained masters 
of the position. We passed the night where we were. 

At daybreak the enemy opened their attack with a 
brisk cannonade of the town of Eylau and of St. Hilaire's 
division. The Emperor took up his station at the church 
which the enemy had so long defended the day before. 
He ordered up Augereau's corps, and cannonaded the hill 
(opposite) with forty guns of the Imperial Guard. 

Just as the corps of Marshal Augereau and St. Hilaire's 
division were going into action, snow so dense that one 
could not see at two paces blotted out the two armies. 
In the darkness our columns lost their direction, in- 
clining too much to the left, and became unsteady. 
This distressing darkness lasted half an hour. Then, the 
sky having cleared, the Grand Duke of Berg at the head 
of the cavalry, supported by Marshal Bessieres, com- 
manding the (cavalry of the) Guard, passed in front of 
St. Hilaire's division, and charged the enemy's army; 
this manoeuvre, as daring in its execution as was ever 
seen and that covered our cavalry with glory, had be- 
come necessary because of the state of our (infantry) 



262 THE CORSICAN [1807 

columns. Meanwhile Marshal Davout's corps was de- 
bouching on the enemy's flank. The snow, which fell 
at intervals through the day, had also retarded his ad- 
vance and the formation of his attack. 

The victory, long uncertain, was won when Marshal 
Davout gained the plateau and outflanked the enemy, 
who, after desperate efforts to regain their ground, fell 
back in retreat. 

The army will return to its cantonments and take up 
winter quarters again. 

14th. The country is covered with dead and wounded. 

18th, Landsberg: 

The army is going into quarters. I am anxious it should 
have a month or six weeks' rest. 

The battle of Eylau was at first claimed as a victory by 
several of the enemy's generals. At Koenigsberg this was 
believed during the whole of the morning of the 9th. 

March 1st, Osterode: 

(To the King of Naples.) The staff, colonels, officers, 
have not undressed in two months, some not in four; I 
myself have gone two weeks without getting out of my 
boots; we are in the midst of snow and nnid, without 
wine, without brandy, without bread, eating potatoes and 
meat, making long marches and countermarches, without 
any kind of luxury, and fighting with bayonets and 
grapeshot; the wounded often compelled to go fifty leagues 
in open sleighs. Therefore it is a pretty poor joke to 
compare us with the army of Naples, making war in a 
lovely country, where one can get wine, oil, bread, cloth, 
shecLs, social life, and even women. After having de- 
stroyed the Prussian monarchy, we are fighting against 



iET.37] A DIARY 263 

what is left of the Prussians, against the Russians, the 
Kalmucks, the Cossacks, the northern tribes that long 
ago invaded the Roman Empire. We are making war in 
the strictest sense of that term. In the midst of these 
great fatigues we have all been more or less sick. As for 
myself I have never been stronger, and have become 
fatter. 

5th. I am displeased with the absurd notes inserted 
in the Moniteur. Berthier wrote from the battlefield, 
in a state of fatigue, and with no idea that his message 
would get into print. 

11th. (To General Clarke.) Colonel Aubert's report 
makes me laugh. We may conclude that that oflBcer, 
finding himself in a fire that was too hot for him, lost his 
head; that is the thing to say to M. de Bray. The battle 
was won by four o'clock in the afternoon, when Marshal 
Davout was fully engaged. I was rather exposed to ar- 
tillery fire, but it was necessary. It is possible that to a 
person who did not realize what was happening the battle 
appeared doubtful; but I, knowing that my columns were 
arriving, could be anxious only about the half hour's snow 
we got. As for 15,000 French having been routed, that is 
a horrible calumny; a few laggards and wagons took to 
flight because the cry was raised that the Cossacks were 
on them; it resulted in the stampede of 800 or 900 led 
horses. The colonel has magnified this into the flight of 
15,000 men. Had he been at Marengo, at Rivoli, and at 
twenty other battles I have fought, he would understand 
that to go under fire and to encourage the troops in per- 
son is not of necessity to consider that a battle is lost. 
In any case, it's all a pack of lies; this officer was pre- 



264 THE CORSICAN [1807 

sumably not there, for I was not on foot for one moment 
of the battle. 

12th. (To Talleyrand.) I have 300,000 rations of 
biscuit at Warsaw; it takes eight days to get from War- 
saw to Osterode; perform miracles and be sure to send 
us 50,000 rations a day. To defeat the Russians is child's 
play, provided I can get bread. The importance of the 
duty I set you is greater than all the negotiations in the 
world. 

13th. The weather is cold again. There is nothing new, 
— small outpost affairs of no importance. We are resting 
a little. I am making use of this to secure supplies, to 
blockade Dantzig, and to make ready for its siege. 

14th. An alliance with Russia would be very valuable. 
Only women and children are capable of supposing that 
(I) would go and lose myself in the deserts of Russia. 

15th. The Munich Gazette states that the Russians 
won the battle of Eylau. 

20th. (To Daru.) I have received your letter of the 
18th of March. 1 do not share your views in any particu- 
lar. Order all the employes to rejoin. I have been making 
war for a good long time. Carry out my orders without 
discussion. Your arguments are bad; I have been telling 
you so for three months; you persist in your opinion. 
You say that we can withdraw one or two employes from 
Erfurt; my purpose is to withdraw every one. Repeat 
your orders. If I accepted all j'our arguments I would not 
have 6000 men with the army; and if I accepted the 
arguments of every governor of a fortress my whole army 
would not suffice to hold the country. The question for 
you is not, therefore, is such and such an employe useful 



^T.37] A DIARY 265 

in such a place ? but rather: is he more useful there than 
at headquarters ? This is a commonplace for any one who 
has any experience of warfare. In any case, even if 
every one disagrees with my views, it is ray will. 

26th. I have written to the Minister of Police to send 
Mme. de Stael back to Geneva, while leaving her at lib- 
erty to go abroad if she should prefer it. This woman con- 
tinues her intrigues. She came back near Paris against 
my orders. She is a perfect pest. 

27th. (To the Empress.) Dear friend : Your letter has 
caused me pain. There is no occasion for you to die; you 
are well, and have no reasonable cause for worry. You 
must give up all idea of a journey this summer; it is not 
possible. I am as anxious to see you as you are to see me, 
and even to lead a quiet life. I know how to do other 
things than wage war, but duty must come first. All my 
life I have sacrificed everything, my repose, my interests, 
my happiness, to my destiny. 

(To Prince Eugene.) I congratulate you on the happy 
delivery of the Princess. Is Augusta disappointed at not 
getting a boy ? Tell her that when one begins with a 
daughter one always has at least twelve children. Have 
your daughter called Josephine. 

29th. (To General Savary.) Proceed to Dantzig. Your 
mission has (two) objects : the first is to post me as to the 
real state of things, after you have made careful inquiries; 
the second, to encourage poor Marshal Lefebvre, who is 
getting worried and excited beyond reason, and showing 
very little for it in results. 

31st. (To Cambaceres.) Junot is always writing to me 
on heavy mourning paper, which produces the most 



266 THE CORSICAN [I807 

sinister effect on me when I read his letters. Tell him that 
it is contrary to etiquette, and that one never writes to a 
superior displaying the tokens of a personal grief. 

April id, Finkenstein: 

I have placed my headquarters here, in a country 
where forage is plentiful, and where my cavalrj' can be 
maintained. I am in a splendid castle with chimneys in 
all the rooms, which is a very pleasant thing. 

4th. I am off to-night at a gallop for Warsaw, which 
I shall reach to-morrow. I shall stay two days to give 
audiences to the Persian and Turkish ambassadors, and 
to make some administrative arrangements. 

(To the King of Holland.) A prince who in the first 
year of his reign gets so great a reputation for benevo- 
lence is a prince who in the second year is despised. The 
affection inspired by kings must be a virile one, a blend 
of respectful fear and of high esteem. When it is said of a 
king that he is a good man, the reign is a failure. 

Your quarrels with the Queen are known to the public. 
Show in your private life the paternal and soft character 
that you display in your administration, and in your ad- 
ministration the rigour you display in your family life. 
You treat your young wife as though she were a regiment. 
Let her dance as much as she likes, she is just of the age. 
I have a wife of forty, and from the battlefield I write 
to her to go and dance, but you expect a young woman 
of twenty to live in a cloister, to be like a nurse, always 
washing the baby ! You put too much of yourself in your 
private, and not enough in your public, life. It is only the 
interest I feel in you makes me tell you all tins. You 
ought to have been given a wife, like some of those I liave 



^T.37] A DIARY 267 

known in Paris. She would have fooled you when your 
back was turned, and kept you at her knees. It is not my 
fault, for I have told her so. 

As for the rest, you may do foolish things in your own 
kingdom; that is all right: but I have no intention that 
you should do the same in mine. You offer your Orders 
to everybody; many individuals who have not the least 
claim have written to me about them. I am annoyed that 
you do not perceive how this transgresses what is due 
from you to me. My intention is that none of my subjects 
shall wear your Orders, as I myself am resolved not to 
wear them. If you ask for my reasons, my answer must 
be that you have as yet accomplished nothing to deserve 
that men should wear your portrait on their breasts. 

6th. (To Cambaceres.) I have received your letter of 
the 27th of March, and regret to see that your health 
is not good. If you would stop drugging yourself you 
would be a great deal better; but it's the inveterate habit 
of the inveterate bachelor ! 

12th. (To M. Talleyrand, Prince of Benevento.) 
General Gardanne wishes to proceed to Persia. Maret 
will draw up his credentials and instructions. They turn 
on (the following) points : 

Investigate the resources of Persia from the military 
point of view, studying particularly the obstacles that 
would have to be overcome by a French army of 40,000 
men marching to India with the help of the Persian and 
Turkish governments. Deal with Persia in regard to 
England by urging her to prevent the passage of English 
dispatches and messages, and to hamper the trade of the 
East India Company in every way possible. 



268 THE CORSICAN '[1807 

13th. The trenches have been opened against Dant- 
zig. I hope to have the city in a month, if our gunpowder 
holds out. 

14th. (To Joseph.) Since you ask for my views on 
NeapoUtan affairs, I must tell you that I do not like the 
preamble (to the decree) for the suppression of the monas- 
teries. In matters that touch religion, the wording should 
be in terms of religion and not of philosophy. That is the 
great art of the ruler, one which the man of letters does 
not possess. The secret of it lies in giving to each edict 
the style and the character of the special craftsman it 
involves. Now a learned monk, who should be in favour 
of the suppression of the monasteries, would not have 
expressed himself in that manner. INIen will accept mis- 
fortune if insult be not added. 

19th. (Notes.) There have been historiographers of 
France, but it is true to say that they have accomplished 
nothing. And yet an institution of this sort might serve a 
purpose; but it would be best to avoid the word histori- 
ographer. It is accepted that the historian is a judge who 
is to be the organ of posterity, and so many qualities, so 
many perfections, are expected of him that it is difficult to 
believe that a good history can be made to order. What 
can be obtained to order from men of well-regulated 
talent are historical monographs, the results of laborious 
research, setting out authentic documents, with critical 
observations that tend to clear up our view of events. If 
these researches and these docvmients are framed in a 
good narrative, a piece of work of this sort will bear some 
.sort of resemblance to history, and yet its author would 
not be a historian in the souse iu which we use the word. 



^T.37] A DIARY 269 

(To Fouche.) Among the thousand and one products 
of Mme. de Stael's pen that fall into my hands, you may 
judge from the inclosed letter how excellent a French 
patriot she is. One day an aristocratic toady and the 
next a nationalizing democrat, in truth one can hardly 
restrain one's indignation in seeing all the shapes that 
this . . . takes. I shall not tell you the plans this ridic- 
ulous clique have made in the happy event of my death, 
as a Minister of Police may be supposed to know all 
about that. 

24th. (To Prince Jerome.) Make war seriously. You 
must be up at one in the morning. Your troops must be 
under arms at two, and you must be on the spot to re- 
ceive reports from the reconnaissances sent out in all 
directions. You must not turn in again until eight, when 
you are sure there is nothing new. I am watching your 
operations; success does not alter the case, and I cannot 
as yet see that you are waging war. 

Our batteries opened on Dantzig this morning; they 
are within 80 yards of the walls. 

The Emperor of Russia has joined his army. 

26th. I covered over thirty leagues on horseback to- 
day. 

May 4th. (To Joseph.) Prince Jerome is doing well; 
I am very pleased with him, and unless I am mistaken 
there is the stuff of a first-rate man in him. However, you 
may rest assured that he does not suspect it, as I drop on 
him in all my letters. 

I am fairly satisfied with Louis; but he is too much 
given to benevolence, and this goes badly with the dignity 



270 THE CORSICAN [1807 

of the crown. lie takes very little heed of the advice 
that I give him, but I continue offering it to him, and 
in time experience will show him that he has made 
many mistakes. I am very well. We are at last getting 
signs of summer. 

10th. (To Josephine.) I have your letter. I don't 
know what j'ou mean by ladies who correspond with me. 
I love only my little Josephine, good, sulky, capricious, 
who can quarrel gracefully, as she does everything else, 
for she is always fascinating except when she is jealous, 
and then she becomes a little deviL 

21st. There should be at Toulon better frigates than 
the Muiron. I want that ship, which brought me back 
from Egypt, to be kept as a monument, and placed so 
that it may be preserved, if possible, for se\eral centuries. 
I would feel a superstitious foreboding if any misfortune 
happened to the frigate. 

2Gth. Dantzig has fallen: our troops entered the city 
this morning. 

June 5th. Marshal Ney sends me word that he was 
attacked this morning at six. Is it a real attack ? I shall 
know in a few hours. I have ordered my cavalry to con- 
centrate. We shall soon be on the move. 

It would suit me if the enemy are sparing me the trou- 
ble of seeking Ihem out. I had intended to open opera- 
tions on the loth. 

Gth. The armies are manoeuvring. It looks as though 
the enemy did not know what they are about, since 
after having allowed us to capture Dantzig they are 
now jamming themselves up agaiust our fortified posi- 
tions. 



^T.37] A DIARY 271 

8 p. M. : 

What will the enemy do? Will they continue marching 
on Allenstein, while we still occupy Liebstadt? All this 
may result in some curious events. I shall reach Saal- 
feld in an hour. 

7th, Saalfeld: 

I am still guessing as to what the enemy really in- 
tended. To-day I am bringing together at Mohrungen 
my infantry and cavalry reserves; I shall try to get at 
the enemy and fight a general action to finish the busi- 
ness. 

(To Bernadotte.) You will find Talleyrand at Dantzig. 
You had better reassure him, as he is fairly frightened. 

8th, Alt Reichau: 

I made a feint against the enemy this morning at eight. 
They showed about 20 guns, 10,000 infantry, and 7000 
or 8000 cavalry. 

13th, Eylau: 

(To the Grand Duke of Berg.) If the enemy should 
show up at Domnau to-day you might still push Mar- 
shal Soult out towards Koenigsberg, placing Marshal 
Davout between Domnau and Koenigsberg, to oppose 
the march of the enemy's army. 

The enemy's movements are quite undecided. 

3 P.M.: 

(To Marshal Lannes.) I want your whole corps in 
position at Domnau, with outposts towards Friedland. 

9 p. M.: 

(To Lannes.) My staff officer has just come in. He does 
not give me sufficient information to judge if it is the 



272 THE CORSICAN [1807 

enemy's army that is debouching at Friedland, or only 
a detachment. Marshal Mortier is moving his cavalry 
to support yours, and is starting with his corps. Subject 
to the information I may receive, I shall send Marshal 
Ney to your support at one in the morning. 

1-lth, bivouac near Posthcnen : 

At three we heard the cannon. The enemy was de- 
bouching by the bridge at Friedland. 

(Orders.) Marshal Ney will command on the right, 
supporting the position of General Oudinot. Marshal 
Lannes will be in the centre, from Heinrichsdorf to about 
opposite Posthenen. The grenadiers of Oudinot will bear 
a little to the left, to draw the encmj' in that direction. 
Marshal Lannes will deploy on as great a depth as he can, 
and may therefore form two lines. Marshal INIortier will 
be on the left. General Victor and the Imperial Guard 
will be in reserve and will form behind Posthenen. I will 
be with the reserve. The advance must always be right 
wing forward, and it must be left to ^Marshal Ney to 
begin the movement; he will wait for my orders before 
advancing. 

As soon as the right goes forward, the artillery must 
redouble its fire along the whole line in the proper direc- 
tion for protecting this wing. 

Have you a good memory ? 
(Murbot: Pretty fair, sire.) 

Well, what anniversary is this to-day, the 14th of June ? 
(That of Marengo.) 

Yes, yes, that of Marengo; and I am going to drub the 
Russians, just as I drubbed the Austriaiis ! 



fiT.37] A DIARY 273 

15th, Friedland: 

(To the Empress.) I write only a line, as I am very- 
tired ; I have been bivouacking a good many days on end. 
My children have worthily celebrated the anniversary of 
Marengo; the battle of Friedland will be equally famous 
and glorious for my people. The whole Russian army is 
routed; 80 guns, 30,000 men captured or killed; 25 Rus- 
sian generals killed, wounded, or prisoners; the Russian 
Guard smashed; — it is a worthy sister of Marengo, 
Austerlitz, Jena. The bulletin will tell you the rest. 
My losses are not heavy; I outmanoeuvred the enemy. 
Good-bye, dear friend, I am just getting into the saddle. 

18th, Skaisgirren: 

My headquarters are here. I intend to march on Tilsit, 
and to engage the enemy should they have the impudence 
to stand their ground. 

19th, Tilsit: 

My health is good; the army is superb. 

A curious incident which made the soldiers laugh, oc- 
curred for the first time near Tilsit; we met a horde of 
Kalmucks, who fought with bows and arrows. 

20th. I control the Niemen. I shall probably conclude 
an armistice this evening. 

22d. An armistice has been signed. 

(To the Grand Army.) Soldiers! On the 5th of June 
the Russian army attacked us in our cantonments. The 
enemy had mistaken the reason for our inactivity. They 
discovered too late that our slumber was that of the lion. 

In the actions of Guttstadt, of Heilsberg, and in the 
ever-memorable one of Friedland, in a ten days' cam- 



274 THE CORSICAN [1807 

paign, we have captured 120 guns, 7 flags, killed, 
wounded, or captured 60,000 Russians, taken the en- 
emy's magazines, ambulances, and hospitals, the fortress 
of Koenigsberg, 300 ships that were in its port laden 
with military supplies, 100,000 muskets that England 
had sent to arm our enemies. 

From the banks of the Vistula we have darted to those 
of the Niemen with the swiftness of the eagle. At Auster- 
litz you celebrated the anniversary of the coronation; 
this year you have worthily commemorated the battle of 
Marengo which brought the war of the Second Coalition 
to an end. 

Frenchmen, you have been worth}" of yourselves and 
of me. You will return to France covered with laurels, 
and after having secured a glorious peace containing 
guarantees for its permanence. The end must come, and 
our country must be able to live quietly, freed from the 
malign influence of England. The rewards I will grant 
will prove all my gratitude and my affection for you. 

24th. The Emperor of Russia is within a league, and, 
I am told, desires an interview. I do not much care about 
it, and yet I shall not refuse. Things are quite different 
now. 

Duroc went off at three in the afternoon to present my 
compliments to the Emperor Alexander. 

25th. I have just seen the Emperor Alexander in the 
midst of the Nieraen on a raft on which was erected a 
splendid pavilion. I am very pleased with him; he is 
a handsome and excellent young Emperor, and has more 
intelligence than is generally supposed. He is coming to 
stay in the town of Tilsit. 



^T.37] A DIARY 275 

30th. The Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia 
are both staying here, and dine with me every day. 

July 3d. (To Fouche.) See to it that no more abuse 
of Russia takes place, directly or indirectly. Everything 
points to our policy being brought into line with that of 
this Power on a permanent basis. 

5th. The Queen of Prussia had decided ability, a good 
education and fine manners; it was she, really, had reigned 
for more than fifteen years; and, in spite of all my efforts 
and skill, she retained command of our conversation, and 
always got back to her subject, perhaps even too much 
so, and yet with perfect propriety and in a manner that 
aroused no antagonism. In truth, the matter was an 
important one for her, and time was short and precious. 

I proceeded to call on her, but she received me on the 
tragic note, like Chimene: — Sire, Justice! Justice! Mag- 
deburg ! — She continued after this fashion, which em- 
barrassed me very much; at last, to shift the ground, I 
asked her to sit down, — there is nothing that cuts into a 
tragic scene better, for when people are seated, it becomes 
a comedy. She had on a superb collar of pearls; so I com- 
plimented her on them : — Ah ! what lovely pearls ! — 

6th. The beautiful Queen of Prussia dines with me 
to-night. 

(To the Emperor of Russia.) I am sending a summary 
to your Majesty of the difficulties our negotiators have 
met with, and a mezzotermine that disposes of them. I 
hope Your Majesty will approve, for I should be glad to 
hear that the treaty of peace can be signed this very day. 

7th. (To Josephine.) The Queen of Prussia dined with 



276 THE CORSICAN [1807 

me yesterday. I had to defend myself from making some 
concessions she wanted to obtain for her husband. I was 
merely gallant, and stuck to my policy. She is very agree- 
able. 

She was tormenting me for Magdeburg; she wanted 
to obtain a promise from me. I kept refusing politely. 
There was arose on the chimnej^; I took it, and offered it 
to her. She drew her hand back, saying : — If it is with 
Magdeburg! — I answered at once: — But, Madam, it 
is I am offering the rose! — After this conversation I con- 
ducted her to her carriage; she asked for Duroc, whom she 
liked, and began to cry, saying: — I have been deceived! 

I have just concluded peace. People tell me I am wrong 
and that I shall be taken in; but, faith, we have made 
enough war, and must give the world repose. 

9th. The Emperor Alexander and I parted to-day after 
spending twenty days together here. We gave one an- 
other tokens of the greatest friendship. 

10th, Koenigsberg: 

I am staying in the old castle, cradle of the Prussian 
monarchy. 

18th, Dresden: 

(To Josephine.) I reached Dresden yesterday at five 
in the evening. I was one hundred hours in my carriage 
without getting out. Here, I am the guest of the King of 
Saxony, with whom I am very pleased. I am now halfway 
back to you. One of these fine nights I shall turn up at 
Saint Cloud like a jealous husband; — be warned ! 



JET. 37] A DIARY 277 

It takes many years and skilful ministers to change the 
financial system of a country. I view men of science and 
clever men as I do coquettes; it pays to see them, to 
converse with them, but not to choose a wife or a minister 
from among them. 

19th. (To Talleyrand.) We must immediately pro- 
vide for the closing to England of the ports of Spain and 
Portugal. As soon as you reach Paris you will notify the 
Portuguese minister that on the 1st of September the 
ports of Portugal must be closed to England. 

22d. (To Prince Eugene.) I have received the letter 
from the Pope which you forwarded. Answer His Holi- 
ness in some such terms : 

" Holy Father: I have placed Your Holiness' letter be- 
fore the Emperor, my revered Father and Sovereign, who 
who has replied to me in a long letter from Dresden, from 
which I will quote an extract to Your Holiness to make 
you understand the views of His Majesty, and so as not 
to conceal the real state of affairs. — 

My son, I perceive by his Holiness' letter, which he 
certainly never wrote himself, that I am threatened. I 
would not tolerate this from any other Pope. What does 
Pius VII wish to do when he denounces me to Christen- 
dom ? Put an interdict on my throne ? Excommunicate 
me ? Does he imagine that their muskets will drop from 
my soldiers' fingers ? Or is it to place a dagger in my peo- 
ple's hands to assassinate me ? Frenzied Popes,, born for 
the misfortune of men, have already preached this infa- 
mous doctrine. I shall doubtless hear that the Holy Father 
intends to apply the scissors to my head and to lock me 
up in a monastery! Does he suppose that the present 



278 THE CORSICAN [1807 

century has reverted to the ignorance and the brutish- 
ness of the ninth century? Does he take me for Louis 
le Debonnaire ? 

The present Pope has too much power; priests are not 
made to rule; let them follow the example of St. Peter, 
St. Paul, and the holy Apostles, who were certainly worth 
any Julius, Boniface, Gregory, or Leo. Jesus Christ de- 
clared that his kingdom was not of this world. Why will 
not the Popes render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's ? 
Is he something greater on earth than was Jesus Christ ? 
But is there anything in common between the interests 
of religion and the prerogatives of the Court of Rome ? 
Is religion to be based on anarchj^ on civil war, on revolt ? 
Is that preaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ ? The Pope 
threatens me with an appeal to the people. In truth, I 
begin to blush and to feel ashamed at all the foolery that 
the Court of Rome makes me endure; and perhaps it will 
not be long, if they insist on creating disturbances in my 
States, before I refuse to recognise the Pope as anything 
more than bishop of Rome, the equal of, and on the same 
rank as the bishops of my States. I would not hesitate 
to convene the Galilean, Italian, German, and Polish 
churches in a Council, to settle affairs without the Pope, 
and to protect my people against the pretensions of the 
Court of Rome. My crown proceeds from God and from 
the will of my people; only to God and to my people am I 
answerable for it. For the Court of Rome I shall always 
be Charlemagne, and never Louis le Debonnaire. — 

Holy Father, this letter was not intended to i)e seen by 
Your Holiness. I intreat you to put an end to this quar- 
rel. The Emperor's complaint is justified." 



2BT.37] A DIARY 279 

Send this letter to the Pope, and inform me when M. 
Alquier presents it. 

29th, Saint Cloud: 

I have reached Paris in good health. A year ago I 
arranged the marriage of Prince Jerome with the Princess 
Catherine of Wiirtemberg; it is to take place some time 
this month. 

August 2d. Unless England accepts the mediation of 
Russia, Denmark will have to declare war against her, or 
I shall declare war against Denmark. 

12th. (To Champagny.) I would like you to write a 
confidential letter to M. de Metternich in some such terms 
as these: "What vertigo has seized people at Vienna? 
What enemy threatens you ? You are calling the whole 
population to arms; your princes beat up the country like 
knights errant; what would you say if your neighbours 
did the same ? Do you wish to bring on a crisis ? Knowing 
as we do that you have no alliance with Russia, the help 
of England is clearly of no service to you. The Emperor 
cannot understand what you are about; up to the present 
he has taken no military steps. Can you inform me con- 
fidentially what it all means, and how we can prevent a 
crisis occurring ?" 

Make your letter pleasant, guarded in terms, con- 
fidential in form ; but let them perceive clearly what will 
happen. 

26th. The English disembarked near Copenhagen on 
the 16th. They are bombarding the city. 

September 7th, Rambouillet: 

(To Eugene.) Your aide-de-camp Bataille has lost his 
dispatches; he deserves to be punished; place him under 



280 THE CORSICAN [I807 

arrest for a few days. It is allowable for an aide-de-camp 
to lose his breeches travelling, but never his dispatches 
nor his sword. 

16th. (To the Emperor Alexander.) I thank Your 
Majesty for your splendid gift of furs. I have nothing so 
fine to offer in return. I hope, however, that some porce- 
lain from Sevres which I am sending may prove accept- 
able. 

I have no news from England, and have no idea as to 
her policy. I am getting my fleet and my flotillas ready, 
and I think the moment is not far off when we shall be able 
to drive the English from the Continent. 

28th, Fontainebleau: 

(To General Savary, at St. Petersburg.) I have your 
letter of the 9th. M. de Champagny is replying to it in 
detail. 

I had no notion you could be so gallant as now appears. 
However, the furbelows for your fair Russian ladies shall 
be sent. I wish to pay the account myself. When you 
present them, you can say that I happened to open the 
dispatch in which you asked for them, and that I insisted 
on choosing them myself. You know my taste in frills 
is pretty good. Talle^^and will send them some actors 
and actresses. 

Herewith you will find two letters for the Empress. 
You will only present them after having first ascertained 
that they will be politely received, and answered. 

October 1st. (To Prince Eugene.) My Son: The Em- 
press is sending a wreath of Ilortcnsias to the Viccrciiie. 
I would like you to have it valued, wiliiout the Princess' 
knowledge, jiy some good jewellers, and to lit me know 



^T.38] A DIARY 281 

the valuation, so that I may judge at what sort of rate 
these gentlemen are accustomed to rob me. 

12th. (To Champagny.) I consider that we are in a 
state of war with Portugal; I expect my troops to reach 
Burgos on the 1st of November; if Spain wants more 
troops, she has but to ask and I will send them. Junot's 
corps must amount to nearly 20,000 men. 

As the English may possibly send troops to Lisbon, I 
would like to know what number of troops Spain is plac- 
ing in the field. But make it clear that this must not be 
like the last war ; we must push straight for Lisbon. 

30th. I have hunted a great deal these last six weeks. 

November 7th. (To Savary.) M. de Tolstoi presented 
his credentials to me yesterday at Fontainebleau. I wore 
the ribbon of St. Andrew all day. The manner in which he 
has been distinguished has already resulted in protests 
from some of the members of the diplomatic corps., M. de 
Tolstoi talked at great length about the evacuation of 
Prussia. 

8th. (To General Junot.) I assume that as a result of 
my last dispatch you have quickened your march; it was 
too slow; ten days are precious; all the English troops and 
the Copenhagen expedition have returned to England. 

13th. Order for the 1st division of the 2d corps to start 
from Bayonne on the 22d of November for Vittoria, there 
to act as a garrison to maintain communication with 
General Junot. 

14th. There are many canals I must build: one from 
Dijon to Paris, one from the Rhine to the Saone, and an- 
other from the Rhine to the Scheldt. I have staked all the 
glory of my reign on changing the appearance of my Em- 



282 THE CORSICAN [1807 

pire. The carrying out of these great works is as neces- 
sary to the prosperity of my people as it is to my own 
satisfaction. 

I also attach the utmost importance and the greatest 
glory to stamping out pauperism. One must not live 
without leaving some evidence behind to commend one's 
memory to posterity. 

15th. (To Jerome Napoleon, King of Westphalia.) 
My Brother: I inclose you herewith the Constitution of 
your kingdom. This Constitution embraces the condi- 
tions on which I abandon my rights, won by conquest, 
over your country. You must observe it strictly. Do not 
listen to those who will tell you that your people, accus- 
tomed to servitude, will accept your benefits with in- 
gratitude. What the people of Germany impatiently 
expect is that men who are not born noble, but who have 
ability, should have an equal right to your regard and to 
employment; it is that all kinds of serfage, and the inter- 
mediate stages between the sovereign and the people, 
should be entirely abolished. The benefits of the Code 
Napoleon, the publicity of trials, the establishment of the 
jury, will distinguish your monarchy. 

23d, Milan: 

I have been at Milan these last two days. 

24th. (To Joseph.) I saw Lucien for several hours at 
Mantua and talked with him. His manner of thinking 
and speaking are so far removed from mine that I could 
hardly tell wliat lie wanted. If only he would divorce 
Mme. JoulxTsthon I would not interfere with his ta.stes 
or alTcctions. 

Here is what I j)roi)osc: let him promise to send his 



.ET.38] A DIARY 283 

daughter to Paris, and place her entirely at my disposal, 
for there is not a moment to lose, events are developing 
rapidly, and my destiny must be accomplished. 

December 6th, Venice: 

(To Marshal Victor.) I have received the letter in 
which you inform me that Prince Augustus is behaving 
badly in Berlin. I am not surprised, because he has no 
sense. He spent his time paying his attentions to Mme. 
de Stael at Coppet, and could only have got bad notions 
in that quarter. See that he is informed that the first time 
he chatters you will have him arrested and sent to a 
castle, and that you will send him Mme. de Stael for conso- 
lation. There is nothing so flat as these Prussian princes! 

(To Maret.) I see by your reports that conversation 
still turns on subjects that must pain the Empress, and 
that are in every way improper. 

17th, Milan: 

The British Isles are declared to be in a state of block- 
ade by sea as well as by land. 

23d. (To General Clarke.) Order General Dupont to 
have his headquarters at Valladolid on the 10th of Jan- 
uary, to concentrate his corps there, keeping an eye 
quietly on the bridge over the Douro, and placing a de- 
tachment at Salamanca as though he intended to move 
on Lisbon. 

Order Marshal Moncey to organize the corps of obser- 
vation of the Atlantic Coast, and to enter Spain at once, 
so that his leading division may reach Vittoria on the 
15th of January. 



1808 

January 4th, Paris: 

(To Jerome.) I see that you propose giving the Fiirst- 
enstein property, with 40,000 francs a year, to M. Lecamus. 
I cannot imagine a more absurd step. Since my reign be- 
gan I have never ventured on a more arbitrary act. There 
are more than ten men who have saved my Ufe and to whom 
I grant pensions of not more than 600 francs. I have 
Marshals who have won ten battles, who are covered 
with wounds, and whose reward has been less than what 
you are giving to M. Lecamus. If M. Lecamus has 40,000 
francs a year, what must I give to Marshals Berthier, 
Lannes, Bernadotte, who have won the throne on which 
you sit at the price of countless wounds ? 

February 2d. (To the Emperor of Russia.) General 
Savary has just arrived, and I have spent many hours 
with him, talking about Your Majesty. 

An army of 50,000 men, made up of Russians, of 
French, perhaps even with a few Austrians, marching by 
way of Constantinople on India, would no sooner reach 
the Euphrates than England would tremble and be on her 
knees to the Continent. I am all ready in Dalmatia, and 
so is Your Majesty on the Danube. One month after we 
luid conchuh^d an agrconicnt our armies could be on the 
Bosphorus. The shock would reverberate to India, and 
England would be con(|uorcd. 

(To Caulaiucourt.) You will lind herewith a letter for 
the Emperor Alexander. I have no doubt that Tolstoi 



ffiT. 38] A DIARY' 285 

writes home many foolish things. At a hunting party a 
few days ago at St. Germain, he was in the same carriage 
as Marshal Ney; a quarrel arose, and they went so far 
as to challenge one another. Three things that Tolstoi 
said on this occasion were noted : the first, that we would 
soon have war; the second, that the Emperor Alexander 
was too weak; and lastly, that if Europe was to be divided 
the Russian right must reach Hamburg and the left 
Venice. You can imagine what might be said in reply by 
Marshal Ney, who knows nothing of what is going on, 
and is as ignorant of my plans as a drummer of the line ! 
The fact is that Russia is poorly represented. 

Tell Romanzoff and the Emperor that I am inclined to 
favour an expedition to India, that nothing could be 
easier. If the Emperor Alexander can come to Paris, I 
would be delighted. If he can come only halfway, put 
the compasses on the map and strike the middle point 
between St. Petersburg and Paris, 

12 th. My troops have entered Rome. 

20th. (To the Grand Duke of Berg.) I have appointed 
you my lieutenant with the army in Spain. Write to the 
generals informing them of your arrival at Bayonne, and 
giving them your instructions. 

Your relations with the Spanish commanders must be 
friendly, and your only explanation for occupying the 
fortresses must be that it is necessary to protect the rear 
of our army. If the Governor-general of Navarre should 
decline to surrender the fortress of Pamplona, you can 
use the troops of Moncey's corps to take it. 

Murat is a hero, and an ass! 



286 THE CORSICAN [I8O8 

25th. (To dc Tournon.) Proceed to Madrid by the 
quickest way, and hand my letter to tlie King. You will 
await the answer, spending five or six days in Madrid. 
When you write by the courier of M. de Beauharnais you 
will give only vague information and nothing that could 
raise the suspicion tiiat you arc informed as to my plans. 

March 5th. I may possibly start for Spain in less than 
a week. I have 80,000 men within 30 leagues of Madrid. 
Junot with 30,000 men is in control of Lisbon and Portu- 
gal, and yet I have not brought a single man from the 
Grand Army back to France. I have nearly 300,000 men 
in Poland and on the Oder. This j^ear's conscription is 
being levied. But my expenses are enormous! 

16th. (To the Grand Duke of Berg.) Continue to 
talk smoothly'. Reassure the King, the Prince of Peace, 
the Prince of the Asturias, the Queen. The great thing is 
to reach Madrid, to rest your troops, and to collect sup- 
plies. Say that I shall soon be there to arrange and con- 
ciliate everything. 

25th. We have reached the fifth act of the play, and 
shall soon get to the climax. 

27th. (To Louis Napoleon, King of Holland.) My 
brother, the King of Spain has just abdicated; the Prince 
of Peace has been put into prison; an insurrection has 
broken out in Madrid. The Grand Duke of Berg pre- 
sumably entered the city on the 23d at the head of 
40,000 men. This being the state of things, I have thought 
of placing you on the throne of Spain. Reply categorically 
what you have to say to this proposal. 

30th. (To the Grand Duke of Berg.) I iiavc received 
your letter, and those of the King of Spain, (icl the 



JBT.38] A DIARY 287 

Prince of Peace out of the clutches of those people. I 
don't want any harm to happen to him. The King says 
he is going to your camp, I am waiting to hear that he is 
safely there before giving you instructions. You did right 
in not recognizing the Prince of the Asturias. Get King 
Charles IV into the Escurial if you can, treat him with 
the highest respect, and declare that he continues to gov- 
ern Spain until I recognise the revolution. I highly ap- 
prove all you have done. 

April 5th, Bordeaux: 

I arrived here just when no one was expecting me. 

9th. (To the Grand Duke of Berg.) I perceive that, as 
a rule, you attach too much importance to the opinion of 
the city of Madrid. It is not for the sake of complying 
with the whims of the population of Madrid that I have 
brought together such large armies in Spain. 

It is desirable that the Prince of the Asturias should 
come to meet me, — in which case I would await him at 
Bayonne. 

12th. I am just starting for Bayonne. When I judge 
the moment has come, I shall arrive in Madrid like a 
cannon-ball. 

15th, Bayonne: 

I reached Bayonne yesterday. I am expecting the 
Prince of the Asturias, who now styles himself Ferdinand 
VII ; he is near the frontier. I am also expecting the 
unfortunate Charles IV and the Queen. 

17th. King Charles IV left the Escurial on the 14th; 
he will therefore reach Burgos to-day or to-morrow. I 
hope to see him here, 

(To Prince Murat.) If there should be any excitement, 



288 THE CORSICAN [18O8 

you can ^Ive out in the newspapers that the French 
armies have moved into Spain for an expedition to Africa, 
and that I am to direct their movements in person from 
Madrid; that the Prince of Peace, thinking I would influ- 
ence the King, and influence him unfavourably to himself, 
became alarmed, and that all the trouble has come from 
this. 

(To Marshal Bessieres.) If the Prince of the Asturias 
should attempt to turn back at Burgos, have him placed 
under arrest, and send him to Bayonne. 

18th. I have nearly 100,000 men here in provisional 
regiments. What with drill and exercise they are im- 
proving daily. They are all fine big bo^'s of twenty, and 
I am very pleased with them. 

19th. The interests of my House and of my Empire 
demand that the Bourbons should cease to reign in Spain! 
Countries where monks (rule) are easy to conquer! 

It might cost me 200,000 men! 

2oth. The Prince of the Asturias is here; I am treating 
him well. I receive him at the head of the stairs, but do 
not accompany him (to the door). 

The King and Queen will be here in a couple of days. 
The Prince of Peace arrives to-night. The unfortunate 
man excites pity. For a month he was between life and 
death, under constant threats. He never changed his 
shirt during all that time, and had grown a beard seven 
inches long. 

26th. (To Murat.) It is time to show energy. I assume 
you will not spare the Madrid mob if it budges. A man 
at the head of 50,000 soldiers should not write such a 



^T.38] A DIARY 289 

letter as you wrote to the Infant Don Antonio, nor have 
recourse to intriguing methods. Your order of the day 
to the soldiers on the Burgos affair is wretched. Good 
God! where should we be if I were given to writing four 
pages to the soldiers to tell them not to allow themselves 
to be disarmed, and to extol as a heroic deed the fact that 
a detachment of fifteen men fired on a mob ? Frenchmen 
are too acute not to laugh at such proclamations, and 
mine is not the school at which you learned to write 
them. What will you do in a crisis if you lavish your pro- 
clamations now ? Three orders of the day like yours 
would demoralize an army. 

(To Marshal Bessieres.) There occurred at Santander, 
on the 22d, a demonstration against the French. Send 
an officer there, and declare to the inhabitants that if a 
single Frenchman is touched they will pay for it dear; 
my intention is, on the news of the least disorder, to send 
a brigade there, with cannon, and to burn the whole place 
down. 

May 1st. I have just met the King and Queen, who are 
very glad to be here. The King received his sons with dis- 
pleasure. All the Spaniards have kissed hands; but the 
old King appears to be very angry with them. 

The Prince of the Asturias is very stupid, very surly, 
very hostile to France; with my knowledge of how to 
handle men, his twenty-four years' experience makes no 
impression. 

King Charles is a good soul. Whether it comes from 
his position, or from his circumstances, he gives the im- 
pression of an honest and kindly patriarch. The Queen's 
heart and history are revealed in her face; that is saying 



290 THE CORSICAN [18O8 

everything. It surpasses all one could imagine. They are 
both of them dining with me. The Prince of Peace looks 
like a bull; he is rather like Daru. 

(To Charles IV., offering his arm.) Lean on my arm, I 
am strong. 

(To the Queen.) Perhaps Your Majesty thinks I am 
going too fast ? 

(The Queen: ^Yell, sire, that is rather your habit!) 

If this thing were going to cost me 80,000 men 
I wouldn't do it; but it won't take 12,000; it's mere 
child's play. I don't want to hurt anybod3% but when 
my great political chariot is rolling, it's as well to stand 
from under the wheels. 

2d. As the Prince of the Asturias is not accommodat- 
ing, it must all end in a crisis and an act of mediation. 

(To Murat.) I am pleased with King Charles and the 
Queen. I shall send them to Compiegne. I intend to 
place the King of Naples on the Spanish throne. I propose 
giving you the throne of Naples or of Portugal. Let me 
know what you think of it immediately, for the whole 
business must be finished in one day. 

5th. (To the Prince of the Asturias.) If you have not 
recognised your father as your rightful sovereign before 
midnight, and notified Madrid to that effect, you will be 
treated as a rebel. 

6th. King Charles is an honest and good man. By the 
treaty he transfers all his rights over the Spanish Crown 
to me. 

The worst of the job is done. 



iET.38] A DIARY 291 

An insurrection broke out in Madrid on the 2d. Thirty 
or forty thousand people collected in the streets, and in 
the houses, firing from the windows. Two battalions of 
the fusiliers of the Guard, with 400 or 500 horse, restored 
order. More than two thousand of the mob were killed. 

18th. Order for the Grand Duke of Berg to move 
General Dupont with his first division towards Cadiz. 

21st. All the talk about a divorce does a great deal of 
harm; it is as improper as it is hurtful. 

28th. (To Decres.) If we have 19 of the line in the 
Mediterranean; 3 in the Adriatic, at Ancona; 20 at Flush- 
ing; 25 at Brest, Lorient, and Rochefort; 2 at Bordeaux; 
8 at Cadiz and Lisbon; total 77 French ships, to which 
add 10 that the King of Holland has in his port; 1 for 
Denmark; 12 of the Emperor of Russia in the Baltic; 
11 which the Emperor of Russia has at Lisbon and Toulon; 
20 of the Spaniards: total 54; this would form a mass of 
131 ships; and if we were to deduct the 12 Russians in the 
Baltic, it would leave 119 under my direct control, and 
backed up by camps of 7000 men at the Texel, of 25,000 
men at Antwerp, of 80,000 men at Boulogne, of 30,000 
at Brest, of 10,000 at Lorient and at Rochefort, of 6000 
Spaniards at Ferrol, of 30,000 men at Lisbon, of 20,000 
men at Carthagena, of 25,000 at Toulon, of 15,000 at 
Reggio, and of 15,000 at Taranto. That looks to me like 
a chess board on which, without asking much of Fortune, 
or demanding extraordinary skill from our seamen, we 
should get very good results. 

31st. The bottom of the great question is: who shall 
have Constantinople? 

June 3d. I have dictated orders for energetic steps to 



292 THE CORSICAN [18O8 

be taken at Santander. That city apparently needs an 
example. As the insurrection looks serious, we must act 
with large numbers. 

7th. Dupont should have reached Cordova to-day. 

9th. The King of Naples arrived here yesterday. He 
is recognised as King of Spain, and will start for ^Madrid, 
He has already accepted the oaths of allegiance of several 
grandees of Spain who are here, of the deputation from 
the Council of Castille, of the Council of the Indies, and 
of the Inquisition. 

Saragossa has raised the standard of revolt. 

13th. (To Murat.) I am sending General Savary to 
help you. I regret your illness from every, point of view. 

16th. General Lefebvre found the army of the rebels 
of Saragossa, commanded by Palafox, on some heights. 
General Lefebvre marched straight on the enemy, struck 
them in flank, and did great execution. 

17th. (To Cambacer^s.) My Cousin: I hear that ex- 
travagant reports are circulated at Fouche's. Since the 
rumours of a divorce were first started, I am told that 
it is a constant topic at his receptions, although I have 
expressed my opinion on the matter to him ten times. 
Have a talk with Fouche and tell him it is time people 
stopped speaking in this way, and that the thing is scan- 
dalous. 

30th, Marracq: 

It is very desirable that Saragossa should surrender 
promptly; it appears tiiat such an event would greatly 
influence the submission of Spain. 

Jubj 1st. If it is true that (the troops from) the camp 
of Gibraltar have marched on Cordova, it may be that 



^T.38] A DIARYj 293 

General Vedel will not be strong enough to unblock 
General Dupont, 

9th. (To King Joseph.) Be gay and happy; never 
doubt your complete success. 

The King started this morning. I escorted him as far 
as the frontier. He was followed by the whole Junta in 
nearly one hundred carriages; but they were carriages 
that had been rather hurriedly equipped. 

13th. Dupont has more troops than he needs. Any 
reverse with which he might meet would not amount to 
much. 

17th. The Emperor wishes to form a portable library 
of about one thousand books. The Emperor also wishes 
M. Barbier to take in hand the following piece of work: 
To draw up accounts of the campaigns that have been 
fought in the valley of the Euphrates from that of Crassus 
down to the eighth century; to indicate on suitable maps 
the line followed by each army, with the names, ancient 
and modern, of the chief cities, geographical details, and 
historical narratives of each expedition, drawn from the 
original sources. 

(To Joachim Napoleon, King of the Two Sicilies.) My 
brother I have received your letter. I note with pleasure 
that the baths are beneficial to your health. 

I have good news for you. On the 14th of July General 
Cuesta was encountered at the head of 35,000 men at 
Medina de Rio Seco. At six in the morning Marshal 
Bessieres attacked them with 15,000 men, carried their 
positions, completely routed them, made several thousand 
prisoners, killed 5000 or 6000, took all their artillery, and 



294 THE CORSICAN [1808 

dispersed their army. The army charged to the shout of 
Vive VEmpereur, and No more Bourbons in Europe. 

19th, Baj'onne: 

(To Josej)h Napoleon, King of Spain.) My Brother: 
You should not be surprised at having to conquer your 
kingdom. Philip V and Henry IV had to conquer theirs. 
Keep your spirits up, don't allow yourself to be depressed, 
and never for one moment doubt but that matters will 
finish better and more quickly than you imagine. 

25th, Toulouse: 

Austria is arming, but denies it; she is therefore arming 
against us. She is spreading the report that I demand 
some of her provinces: she is therefore trying to cloak as 
a rightful defence an unprovoked and hopeless attack. 
Since Austria is arming, we too must arm. I am therefore 
ordering the Grand Army to be reinforced. My troops 
are concentrating at Strassburg, Mainz, Wesel. 

31st, Bordeaux: 

(To Joseph.) I don't like the tone of your letter of the 
24th. There is no question of dying, but of fighting, and 
of being victorious. I shall find in Spain the pillars of 
Hercules, not the bounds of my power. In all my military 
career I have seen nothing more cowardly than these mobs 
of Spanish soldiers. 

You must support Dupont. Don't be uneasy as to the 
outcome of all this business. 

August 1st. I can see from the report of the cuirassier 
officer that Dupont's corps will have to retreat. The 
whole Ihiiig is inconceivable. 

2d. Brule! Fool! Coward! Dupont has lost Spain to 
save his baggage! 



iET.38] A DIARY 295 

It's a spot on my uniform! 

3d. (To General Clarke.) The inclosed documents are 
for you alone; read them with a map, and you will be able 
to judge whether there was ever anything since the world 
was created so senseless, so stupid, and so dastardly! 
Here are the Macks and the Hohenlohes justified! One 
can see clearly enough, by General Dupont's own report, 
that all that happened resulted from his inconceivable 
folly. This loss of 20,000 picked men, with the moral 
effect which it is bound to have, has made the King take 
the grave decision of falling back towards France. The 
influence which it will have on the general situation pre- 
vents my going to Spain in person; I am sending Marshal 
Ney there. 

(To Joseph.) The knowledge that you have been 
thrown into the midst of events that are beyond your 
range of experience and of character grieves me, my dear 
friend. Dupont has covered our standards with infamy. 
An event like this makes my presence in Paris necessary. 
I feel the sharpest pang at the thought that at such a 
moment I cannot be at your side and in the midst of my 
soldiers. Let me know that you are keeping your spirits 
up, that you are well, and getting used to soldiering, — 
here is a splendid opportunity for studying the business. 

5th, Rochefort: 

I have ordered the 1st corps of the Grand Army, the 
6th corps and two divisions of dragoons back to Mainz. 

6th. Lisbon is threatened by an English expedition 
and by an insurrection. Part of the Spanish army has 
gone over to the English, and the situation looks very 
grave. 



296 THE CORSICAN [I8O8 

16lh, Saint Cloud: 

^Yhat is going on in Spain is lamentable. My army is 
not commanded by generals who have made war, but by 
postal inspectors. 

21st. Defeat of Junot at Vimiero. 

22d. (To Pauline.) And how are you feeling, lovely 
princess; are you very tired.'* What are you doing to-day? 

(To Marshal Davout.) As the English have landed 
large forces in Spain, I have recalled the 1st and Gth corps 
and three divisions of dragoons from the Grand Army, so 
as to complete the conquest of that country this winter. 
Dupont has dishonoured our arms; his stupidity is only 
equalled by his cowardice. When you (get the details) it 
will raise the hair of your head. I will do them good jus- 
tice, and if they have stained our uniform they will have 
to wash it out. 

29th. Russia and Austria have recognised the King of 
Spain. It is clear that nothing will happen in October; 
but as to what may be hatched this winter to explode in 
the spring, that is another matter. — And so life goes, 
making and unmaking. 

30th. (Note on Spanish affairs.) It needs a long ex- 
perience of war to perceive its principles; one must have 
undertaken many offensive operations to realize how 
the slightest incident means encouragement or discour- 
agement, brings about one result or another. In warfare 
men are nothing, a man is everything. 

September 3d. (To M. Cretet.) Give orders for tlio city 
of Metz to entertain the troops when they pass. As the 
city cannot afford it, I will grant three francs per man, 
but it must all be done in the name of the city. I wish 



MT.39] A DIARY 297 

you to instruct the prefects who are on the line of march 
to look after the troops well, and to maintain in every 
way possible their loyalty and their love of glory. 
Speeches, songs, free theatre performances, dinners, — 
that is what I expect from our citizens for our soldiers. 

14th. The Emperor of Russia has given me a rendez- 
vous at Erfurt to confer on European affairs and on the 
means of putting an end to the unrest of the world and 
restoring a general peace. 

17th. (To Cretet.) Have songs composed in Paris and 
sent to the chief cities; these songs are to proclaim the 
glory the army has already won, that which it still has to 
acquire, and the liberty of the seas that will result from its 
victories. These songs shall be sung at the dinners (given 
to the troops). You will have three sets of songs com- 
posed, so that the soldiers shall not hear the same song 
repeated. 

18th. (Proclamation.) Soldiers, after your triumphs 
on the banks of the Danube and of the Vistula, you have 
crossed Germany by forced marches. I now order you 
through France without allowing you one moment's repose. 

Soldiers, I need you ! The Leopard's hideous apparition 
has sullied the continent of Spain and Portugal; he must 
flee in terror at your approach. We will carry our tri- 
umphant Eagles to the columns of Hercules : there also we 
have insults to wipe out. 

Soldiers, you have surpassed the fame of all armies of 
modern times, but have you as yet equalled the glory of 
the armies of Rome, which in the same campaign tri- 
umphed on the Rhine and on the Euphrates, in Illyria 
and on the Tagus ? 



298 THE CORSICAN [isos 

27th Erfurt: 

I arrived this morning at nine. 

29th. Your Emperor Alexander is as obstinate as a 
clam ! — That infernal Spanish business is costing me 
dear ! 

October 1st. (To Alexander.) What you are suggesting 
I should do really represents a policy of concessions; if I 
adopted it, Europe would treat me like a little boy. Is it 
the act of a friend, of an ally, to propose that I should 
abandon the only position from which I can threaten 
Austria in flank if she should attack me while my troops 
are in the south of Europe ? If you absolutely insist on 
my evacuating (Prussia), I shall consent; but if I do, in- 
stead of going into Spain I shall settle Austria's busi- 
ness first. 

3d. Erfurt is very brilliant. 

5th. (To the Empress.) Conversations lasting whole 
days are not doing ray cold much good. However, all is 
going well. I am pleased with Alexander, and he ought 
to be pleased with rac: if he were a woman I think I 
could have him at my feet. I shall soon be back; take 
good care of yourself; I shall expect to find you j)lump 
and in good colour. 

9th. I am just back from hunting over the battlefield 
of Jena. We breakfasted on the spot where I bivouacked. 

I went to the ball at Weimar. The Emperor Alexander 
danced, but I didn't. Forty years of age are forty 
years ! 

12th. (Treaty of alliance.) His Majesty the Emperor 
of the French, King of Italy, and His Majesty the Em- 
peror of all the Russias, desirous of binding more closely 



^T. 39] A DIARY 299 

and of making more durable the alliance between them, 
confirm and renew the treaty of alliance concluded at 
Tilist. 

13th. (To Joseph.) You need me there. 

19th, Saint Cloud: 

(To General Junot, Duke of Abrantes.) The Minister 
of War has shown me all your reports, and in particular 
your letter of the 15th of October. You have done no- 
thing that is dishonourable. You have brought me back 
my soldiers, my standards, and my guns. I had hoped, 
however, that you would do better. You secured the 
convention, not so much by your foresight as by your 
courage, and the English are right in blaming the general 
who signed it. I have now made public my approval of 
your conduct; what I write confidentially is for you alone. 
Before the end of the year, I intend myself to place you 
once more at Lisbon. 

21st. Berthier started for Bayonne to-day; I shall be 
there in a few days. 
^ 22d. The Civil and Commercial Codes, and the Code 
of Procedure, have met with success. The Criminal Code 
will come before the Legislative Body this session. The 
Civil Code is the code of the century; its provisions not 
only preach toleration, but organize it, — toleration the 
greatest privilege of man. 

Liberty is the need of only a small class, endowed by 
nature with higher faculties than common men. Equal- 
ity, on the contrary, is what appeals to the mass. 

November 3d, Bayonne: 

I have just arrived. As I rode at a gallop through some 
considerable part of the Landes I am a little tired. - ' 



300 THE CORSICAN [18O8 

4th, Tolosa: 

I shall start to-morrow at five, and shall reach Vittoria 
in the night. I want to cover not more than four or five 
leagues on the same horse. I intend to enter Vittoria in- 
cognito; that is why I shall get there at night. The 
news will not be out till morning. At nine a salute of 
sixty guns may be fired. 

7th, Vittoria: 

Troops are coming in daily. The Guard arrived to-day. 
I am very busy. 

10th, Cubo, 8 P.M.: 

(To Joseph Napoleon, King of Spain.) My Brother: I 
shall start at one in the morning so as to reach Burgos 
before dawn ; there I will make my arrangements for the 
day, for a victory is nothing, it must be turned to ac- 
count. 

While I think it unnecessary that there should be any 
ceremony made for me, I think it necessary that there 
should be for you. As to me, it does not fit my business 
of soldiering; in any case I don't want any. It seems to 
me that deputations from Burgos should wait on you and 
give you a good reception. 

16th, Burgos: 

Marshal Ncy attacks Aranda to-day, and Marshal 
Bessieres, who is marching for the same point, will imme- 
diately cover the plain with cavalry up to the mountains 
of Madrid. 

Blake's army of 45,000 men has been defeated at 
Espinosa and Reinosa. 

18th. (To M. dc Champagny.) I have read Miss Pat- 
terson's letter. I will see her child with pleasure, and will 



iET.39] A DIARY 301 

take charge of him, if she will send him to France; as for 
herself, she can have all she wants. At the time I refused 
to recognise her I was influenced by political considera- 
tions; apart from that, I wish to provide for her son to her 
satisfaction. For the rest, deal with this matter secretly 
and tactfully. 

23d, Aranda: 

I got here at four. 'Apparently there are serious dis- 
turbances at Madrid. 

26th. The battle of Tudela completes that of Espinosa. 
The army of Andalusia commanded by Castanos, that of 
Aragon commanded by Palafox, those of Valencia and of 
New Castille, are destroyed and scattered. We have cap- 
tured many guns and prisoners and much baggage. 

27th. In six days I shall be in Madrid. 

30th, at the foot of the Somosierra: 

(Colonel Pire: Impossible, sire!) 

That is a word I don't know! 

(To the Polish lancers.) Carry that position, in a 
gallop ! 

(Kozietulski: Forward, trot! Vive I'Empereur!) 

On the summit of the Somosierra: 
(The last surviving Polish officer, to Berthier: I am 
dying, there are the guns; tell the Emperor!) 

You are worthy of my Old Guard! I proclaim you my 
bravest cavalry ! 

(The Polish lancers : Ave Caesar !) 

Buitrago : 

(To Joseph.) We have had an engagement. A corps 



302 THE CORSICAN [18O8 

of 9000 men was in position at the Somosierra, and 4000 
at Sepulveda. We defeated those at Somosierra, captured 
their guns, 50 transport wagons, and a great number of 
prisoners. 

December 4th, Madrid: 

Madrid has capitulated, and we occupied it at noon. 

From the date of the publication of the present decree, 
feudal dues are at an end in Spain. The tribunal of the 
Inquisition is abolished as infringing on the sovereign 
power and civil authority. From the 1st of January next, 
the custom houses between province and province shall 
be suppressed and carried to the frontiers. 

11th, Chamartin: 

(To Alexander, Prince of Neuchatel.) My Cousin : Send 
one of your staff officers to Talavera so as to get news of 
what the English are doing. 

22d, Madrid: 

I am starting immediately to operate against the En- 
glish, who appear to have received reinforcements and to 
be making a show of boldness. 

The English move is extraordinary. It is clear that 
they have left Salamanca. It is probable that they have 
sent Iheir transports to Ferrol, with the idea that a retreat 
on Lisbon would be dangerous. 

The whole of the Guard is on the march. We shall 
probably reach Valladolid on the 24th or 25th. 

Afternoon, Pass of the Guadarrama: 

(Napoleon passes astride on a gun in the midst of a 
terrific snowstorm. The soldiers: Convicts sufiPer less than 
we do! Shoot him down, danni him!) 



2ET.39] A DIARY . 303 

Espinas, evening : 

I have crossed the Guadarrama with a part of the 
Guard in rather disagreeable weather. 

23d, Villacastin: 

(To Joseph.) The English appear to be at Valladolid. 
Put in the Madrid newspapers that 20,000 English are 
surrounded and lost. 

26th, near the Douro, floods, mud, rain : 

If the English remained in their positions to-day it is all 
up with them. 

(Sir John Moore, near Valladolid: I am in a hornet's 
nest, and God knows how I shall get out of it.) 

31st, Benavente: 

My advance guard is near Astorga. The English are 
flying as fast as they can, and are abandoning their sup- 
plies and baggage. 



1809 

January 1st, near Astorga, arrival of the courier from 
Paris. 

2d, Astorga: 

We have found 800 dead horses along the road and 
much baggage, with suppHes. The Guard is returning to 
Benavente, and I am coming back closer to the centre of 
my armies. 

6th, Benavente: 

(To Joseph.) I thank you for your good wishes for the 
new year. I have no hope as yet that Europe will be 
pacified this year. I have so little hope of it that I signed 
a decree yesterday to raise 100,000 men. 

Happiness? Ah! of course! There's little enough 
question of happiness these days! 

7th, Valladolid: 

I have left the Duke of Dalmatia with 30,000 men to 
pursue the English. 

8th, Morning parade: 

Ah, yes. I know, you all want to get back to Paris, to 
your bad habits, and your mistresses! Well, I mean to 
keep you with the colours till you're eighty! 

9th. (To Josephine.) Moustache has brought me your 
letter of the 31st of Dcfcmbcr. I perceive, dear frioml, 
that you are worried, that you are in a stale of black 
anxiety. Austria will not make war on me. If she (1(H's, I 
have 150,000 men in Germany, and as many on the Rhine, 



iET.39] A DIARY 305 

and 400,000 Germans with whom to reply. Russia will 
not leave my side. People are mad in Paris; all is going 
perfectly well. 

I shall be in Paris the moment I think it necessary. I 
warn you to beware of ghosts : one of these fine days, at 
two o'clock in the morning — But, good-bye. 

11th. I have to stay at Valladolid, where dispatches 
from Paris can reach me in five days. The events of 
Constantinople, the present situation of Europe, the re- 
organization of my armies of Italy, of Turkey, and of 
the Rhine prevent my moving away from here. It was 
with great reluctance that I turned back at Astorga. 

On the parade ground: 

(To General Legendre, Dupont's chief of staff.) You 
have the impudence to appear before me! Your dis- 
honour is written on the face of every brave soldier. 
Men have blushed for you in the most remote parts of 
Russia. On the field of battle a man fights, sir, he does 
not surrender, and if he surrenders he deserves to be shot. 
A soldier should know how to die. Your surrender was 
a crime! 

15th. (To Joseph.) The condition of Europe compels 
me to go to Paris for three weeks. I expect to be there on 
the 21st of January. I shall travel most of the way in the 
saddle, rapidly. If you think it advisable you can keep 
my absence secret for a fortnight by saying that I have 
gone to Saragossa. 

24th, Paris: 

I arrived here in good health on the 23d at 8 in the 
morning. 

28th. (To Talleyrand.) You are a thief, a coward, a 



306 THE CORSICAN [1809 

man without honour, you disbchcve in God, you have 
betrayed everyone, to you nothing is sacred, you would 
sell your own father! You suppose, without rhyme or 
reason, that my Spanish affairs are going wrong. You de- 
serve that I should smash you like a glass, but I despise 
you too profoundly to put myself to that trouble! 

(Talleyrand: What a pity that so great a man should 
be so ill-bred!) 

29th. (To Metternich.) Well! this is something new 
at Vienna! What does it mean ? Has a spider stung j'ou ? 
WTio is threatening you ? Whom are you aiming at ? Do 
you want to set the world aflame again ? 

Metternich has almost become a statesman, he lies very 
well. 

(Austria) w^ants to get slapped; she shall have it, on 
both cheeks. If the Emperor Francis attempts any hostile 
move, he will soon have ceased to reign. That is clear. 
Before another ten years mine will be the most ancient 
dynasty of Europe. 

February 11th. My memory will not store a single 
alexandrine verse; but I do not forget one syllable of the 
regimental returns. I always know where my troops are. I 
am fond of tragedy; but w*ere all the dramas of the world 
there, on one side of me, and the regimental returns on the 
other, I would not so much as glance at the dramas, while 
every line of my regimental returns would be read with 
the closest attention. 

March 9th. I am leaving my best troops with Joseph, 
and am starting alone for Vienna with my little conscripts, 
my name, and my long boots. 



^T.39] A DIARY 307 

14th, Rambouillet : 

(To Maximilian Joseph, King of Bavaria.) My Brother: 
If war should break out, your troops must be employed 
vigorously. The Prince Royal, however distinguished he 
may be by his natural gifts, has never conducted military 
operations, and is therefore not competent to command. 
I should be depriving myself of the services of your 40,000 
men if I had not a firm and able commander at their 
head. I have selected an old soldier, the Duke of Dantzig, 
for this duty. At this day the Bavarian army is too large, 
and the circumstances too serious, for me to speak less 
than frankly to Your Majesty. After the Prince Royal 
has won his promotions through six or seven campaigns, 
he will be fit to command. 

23d, Paris: 

A French officer has been stopped at Braunau, and his 
dispatches, though sealed with the arms of France, have 
been forcibly taken by the Austrians. 

24th. All the infantry of the Guard coming from Spain 
will proceed to Paris by coach. 

30th. My intention is to carry my headquarters to 
Ratisbon and to concentrate my whole army there. 

April 10th. Intercepted dispatches addressed to M. de 
Metternich, and his demand for passports, show clearly 
enough that Austria is on the point of beginning hostili- 
ties, if she has not already done so; if she attacks before 
the 15th everything must fall back on the Lech. 

12th. (To the Prince of Neuchatel.) The semaphore is 
just giving me, at 8 p. m., the first half of your dispatch, 
from which it would appear, according to a letter of M. 
Otto, that the Austrians have crossed the Inn and de- 
clared war. I shall start in two hours. 



308 THE CORSICAN [1809 

15th, Strassburg: 

In an hour I shall cross the Rhine. 

16th, Ludwigsburg: 

(To Alexander, Prince of Neuchatel.) I have received 
your dispatch stating that you are moving Oudinot's 
corps to Ratisbon. You state no reasons for so extraordi- 
nary a move that weakens and disperses my forces. 

17th, Donauwerth, 4^-^-- 

I have absolutely no knowledge of the whereabouts of 
the Duke of Auerstadt. 

It appears that the Duke of Dantzig is retreating on 
Eisenfeld. 

8 A. M. : 

(To the Duke of Dantzig.) Let me know your personal 
view as to where the mass of the enemy's forces is situated. 

10 A. M. : 

(To the Duke of Auerstadt.) I have just reached 
Donauwerth. I hear that you are at Ratisbon. My in- 
tention had always been to concentrate behind the Lech. 
Fall back with all your troops on Ingolstadt. 

(To the Duke of Rivoli.) You will receive in the night 
orders to march to-morrow at two in the morning with 
your whole corps and that of General Oudinot. The ob- 
ject of your march will be to get contact with the rest 
of the army, to catch the enemy in a false manoeuvre, and 
to destroy his columns. 

6 p. M. : 

(To Davout.) Since arriving here this morning I have 
sent you General Savary, my aide-de-camp Vence, an 
arlillory ofTlccr, a Bavarian major, and have ordered 
General von Wrcdc and the Duke of Dantzig, to both of 



^T.39] A DIARY 309 

whom I have sent several dispatches, to send on my views 
to you. It is now 6 p. m. and I am sending off your aide- 
de-camp, with a duplicate copy of my orders, and he has 
promised me that he will reach you by six in the morning. 
We have heard the sound of guns from between Pfaffen- 
hofen and Freising. We are moving towards one another. 

18th, J,. A.M.: 

It appears as though the Archduke Charles were mov- 
ing on the line Landshut Ratisbon, 

(To Massena, Duke of Rivjali.) In a word you will see 
the whole situation. Prince Charles debouched yesterday 
from Landshut on Ratisbon with his whole army; he had 
three corps, estimated at 80,000 men. You therefore per- 
ceive that there never was a stroke that demanded more 
energy and swiftness than this. 

Rapidity! Activity! activity! All lies with you! 

20th, Vohburg: 

I am in the saddle to get to the outposts and see things 
for myself. I shall attack the enemy if they are still in 
position, and pursue them rapidly if they are retreat- 
ing. 

21st, Rohr: 

Yesterday and day before are a second Jena. The Duke 
of Rivoli should have reached Landshut (yesterday) at 
three in the afternoon. 

22d, Landshut: 

I shall be at Ergoltsbach before noon. If I hear the 
guns, that will be a sufficient signal for me to attack. I am 
determined to destroy the army of Prince Charles to-day, 
or at latest to-morrow. 

(Order.) The Duke of Rivoli will move on Eckmiihl 



310 THE CORSICAN (1809 

with his three divisions, and cut off the enemy. The 
Emperor will be with him. 

2-ith, Imperial headquarters, Ratisbon: 

Soldiers, you have done all that I expected! You have 
balanced numbers by courage. You have gloriously 
marked the difference that lies between the soldiers of 
Caesar and the armed hordes of Xerxes. 

In a few days we have triumphed in three pitched bat- 
tles, at Thann, at Abensberg and at Eckmiihl, and in the 
actions of Freising, of Lan^shut, and of Ratisbon. Be- 
fore another month has elapsed we shall be in Vienna. 

27th, Miihldorf: 

We are now in Austria and covering long days' marches. 

30th, Burghausen: 

(To Prince Eugene, commanding the army of Italy.) 
I regret to see that you have abandoned the line of the 
Piave. In warfare one sees one's own deficiencies, but 
not those of the enemy. You should have held on until 
the enemy actually attempted to force the passage of the 
Piave. 

War is a serious business in which one risks one's 
own reputation and that of one's country; a reasonable 
man should examine himself and decide whether or no he 
is fitted for it. I know that in Italy you afi'oct a great 
contempt of Massena; had I sent him there things would 
not have happened as they have. Massena has military 
talents to which we may well doff our hats; we must 
forget his foibles; every man has some. I made a mistake 
in giving you the command of the army; I should have 
placed you under Massena in cotninaud of the cavalry. 
Kings of France, even reigning Emperors, have often 



2ET.39] A DIARY 311 

enough commanded a regiment or a division under the 
orders of an old Marshal. I think that if you are hard 
pressed you should write asking the King of Naples to 
join the army; he could leave his government to the Queen. 
You could hand the command over to him, and place 
yourself under his orders; that would be highly proper, 
and would have a good effect. It is a simple enough mat- 
ter that you should know less of warfare than a man who 
has been waging it for sixteen years. I am not vexed at 
your mistakes, but I am at your not writing and posting 
me, so that I can advise you, and direct your movements 
from here. If you only knew history you would also know 
that quips serve no good purpose, and that the greatest 
battles of which we know were lost through following 
the opinions of the armies. 

May 4th, Enns : 

I crossed the Traun yesterday. There has been an en- 
gagement at Ebelsberg in which we took 6000 prisoners. 

6th. (To Josephine.) Dear friend: I have received 
your letter. The bullet that struck me did not wound me; 
it just grazed the tendon of Achilles. My health is excel- 
lent and there is no cause for worry. My affairs are going 
well. 

9th, S. Poelten: 

I shall be in sight of Vienna to-morrow at noon. The 
inhabitants are armed, and appear inclined to defend 
themselves. We shall see if we are to have a repetition 
of the Madrid business. 

12th, Schoenbrunn: 

We took possession of the suburbs on the 10th, and of 
the city to-day, after a bombardment. 



312 THE CORSICAN [1809 

(Decree.) Napoleon, Emperor of the French, King of 
Italy, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, etc. 

Whereas Charlemagne, Emperor of the French, our 
illustrious predecessor, when donating various counties to 
the bishops of Rome, granted them by way of fiefs and for 
the greater benefit of his states; and whereas Rome did 
not cease, by the said donations, from being a part of his 
Empire; and whereas nothing that we have put forward 
for the purpose of conciliating the safety of our armies, 
the tranquillity and prosperity of our people, the dignity 
and integrity of our Empire with the temporal claims of 
the Popes, has been of any effect; we hereby decree: 

The States of the Pope are annexed to the French 
Empire. 

17th. The immense quantity of material necessary for 
throwing a bridge over the Danube is already assembled. 
I hope to cross on the 18th and 19th, and to disperse the 
armies between the Danube and Moravia. 

19th, Ebersdorf : 

The Emperor hopes the bridge will be ready to-mor- 
row forenoon, and that the whole army will reach the left 
bank in the course of the day. 

22d, bivouac, island of Lobau: 

The nearest villages are Aspern, Essling, and Enzers- 
dorf. To cross a river like the Danube in the presence of 
an enemy knowing the ground thoroughly, and ha\nng the 
sympathies of the inhabitants, is one of the most dif- 
ficult military operations conceivable. 

It was all over with the Austrian army when at 7 A. M. 
a staff officer reached the Emperor and informed him that, 
owing to a sudden fiood of the Danube which hud carried 



^T. 39] A DIARY 313 

down many trees and rafts, the bridges between the right 
bank and the island of Lobau had been broken. This de- 
plorable mishap caused the Emperor to stop the advance 
of the troops. 

The enemy made desperate efforts, backed by the fire 
of 200 guns, to drive the French army away. Their ef- 
forts ended ingloriously. Three times they attacked the 
villages of Aspern and Essling, and three times they filled 
them with their dead. Towards six o'clock in the evening 
the Duke of Montebello had a leg carried away by a can- 
non-ball; for a moment it was thought he was killed. 

23d, Ebersdorf : 

(To Count Daru.) A great part of the army will be 
in the island to-night, and will need provisions. In the 
present situation of affairs there is nothing more pressing 
than to get us supplies. 

28th. On the night of the 26th to the 27th our bridges 
over the Danube were carried away by the flood and by 
mill wheels that had been thrown in (and floated down). 
To-day one of the bridges is repaired. 

31st. (To the Empress Josephine.) I am in great grief 
for the loss of the Duke of Montebello, who died this 
morning. And so all things come to their end ! Good-bye, 
dear friend; do anything you can to console the Marshal's 
poor wife. 

There are some wounds to which death itself is prefer- 
able. It is at the moment of leaving life that a man clings 
to it with all his might. Lannes, the bravest of men, 
Lannes, deprived of his two legs, did not want to die, and 
said to me that the two surgeons who had treated a 



3U THE CORSICAN [i809 

Marshal so brutally and with such scant respect ought to 
be hanged. With his remnant of life he clung to me; he 
wanted only me, thought only of me. A sort of instinct! 
For surely he loved his young wife and his children more 
than he did me; yet he never spoke of them, which was 
because he expected no help from them. But I was his 
protector; for him I was some vague and superior power; 
I was his Providence, and he was imploring. . . . 

(To Mme. Lannes, Duchess of Montebello.) My 
Cousin: The Marshal died this morning of wounds re- 
ceived on the field of honour. My sorrow is as deep as 
yours. I lose the most distinguished general in my armies, 
my comrade in arms during sixteen years, he whom I 
considered my best friend. His family and his children 
will always have a special claim to my protection. It is 
to assure you of this that I have written you this letter, 
for I am convinced that nothing could lighten the grief 
that you must feel. 

June 5th, Schoenbrunn: 

I am here to review the Guard, which is superb. There 
are 60 guns, 4000 sabres, and 12,000 of the finest infantry 
in Europe. 

9th. (To Jerome Napoleon, King of Westphalia.) Ex- 
perience will teach you the difference between reports 
spread by the enemy and reality. I have never, in the 
whole of the sixteen years during which I have exercised 
command, given counter-orders to a regiment, because I 
always wait until matters are ripe and understood before 
I begin operations. Don't be so nervous; there is nothing 
to be alarmed about; it is all empty noise. 

11th. (To General Clarke.) It seems to me that the 



^T.39] A DIARY 315 

Spanish operations are being poorly conducted, and so 
poorly conducted that I foresee a catastrophe unless more 
vigour is imparted to the movements of the columns. The 
English have been given enough respite to form another 
army at Lisbon, It is the English we have to fear; they 
alone, unless the army is managed differently, will bring 
it to a catastrophe before many months. . 

12th. I believe that in German Schoenbrunn means 
the beautiful fountain; the spring in the park produces 
delicious water which I drink every morning. Do you 
also like fresh water? 

(Colonel Sainte Croix: Faith, no. Sire; I prefer a good 
glass of Bordeaux or of Champagne.) 

Send the Colonel 100 bottles of Bordeaux and as many 
of Champagne. 

14th. (To Count Fouche.) I have received a wretched 
scrawl from that blackguard Palafox. I am displeased 
that you should have accepted it, had it translated, and 
thereby allowed it to become known that he was at Vin- 
cennes, instead of leaving that fact unpublished. This 
blackguard is stained with the blood of 4000 Frenchmen 
whom he barbarously slaughtered at Saragossa. Let him 
remain at Vincennes, forgotten, without pen or paper, 
and unable to secure the intervention in his favour of the 
most bitter enemies of France. 

16th. (To Josephine.) On the 14th, anniversary of Ma- 
rengo, Eugene won a battle at Raab in Hungary against 
the Archduke John; he captured 3000 prisoners, several 
guns, four flags, and has pursued the enemy far on the 
road to Baden. 

17th. (To Joachim Napoleon.) I received Your Ma- 



316 THE CORSICAN [1809 

jesty's letter of the 8th of June. I would much like to 
have you here. But in the present state of things it is 
better that you should not be too far away from Naples. 
In another campaign, when things are quite settled in 
your direction, it will be possible to call you to the 
army. 

20th. .(To Eugene.) The art of questioning prisoners 
comes with experience and the practice of war. What he 
said appears uninteresting to you; had I questioned him 
I would have obtained much information about the 
enemy. 

Be ready to start, as soon as my orders reach you, to 
take part in the great battle. 

30th. (To Fouche.) Find out who influences the Prus- 
sian Minister. The stupid and infamous reports he sends 
to his Court are inconceivable. Is he a fool, or is he ma- 
licious, or is he taken in by some intriguing person at 
Paris? He writes to Berlin that my position is desperate, 
that the discontent in France is at the highest pitch, and 
the refrain of the whole is that Prussia should pay no 
more money. The man must be very silly or very ill- 
intentioned. 

July 2d, Island of Lohau: 

The army of Prince Charles is ranged in battle oppo- 
site; I shall cross on the night of the 4th. 

4th. Notwithstanding his redoubts and intrcnclimonts, 
I hope, with the help of God, to crush the army of Prince 
Charles. 

9 P. M : 

I am d(Tiglilo(i willi this storm. What a splendid night 
for us. The Austrians can't see our preparations. 



;et. 39] A DIARY 317 

6th. Battle of Wagram : 

(To Bernadotte.) I relieve you, sir, from the command 
of a corps which you handle so badly ! 

7th, Ebersdorf: 

(To the Empress Josephine.) I am sending you a page 
with the good news of the victories of Enzersdorf and 
of Wagram which I won on the 5th and 6th of July. The 
enemy's army is retreating in disorder, and all is going 
as well as possible. My losses are rather heavy, but the 
victory is complete and decisive. We have over a hundred 
guns, twelve flags, many prisoners. 

I am sunburnt. Good-bye, dear friend. I embrace you. 
Many compliments to Hortense. 

8th, Wolkersdorf : 

I have my headquarters in the house that the weakling 
Francis I occupied; he was content to watch the battle 
from an observatory twelve miles away from the field. 

I reckon that the enemy played on us with from 700 to 
800 guns. I had 550, and fired 100,000 rounds of shot 
and grape. 

13th, Znaym: 

There shall be an armistice between the armies of H. M. 
the Emperor of the French and King of Italy, and of H. M 
the Emperor of Austria. 

15th, Schoenbrunn: 

The bull of excommunication is so ridiculous a docu- 
ment that one may as well take no notice of it. 

17th. (To Jerome.) I have seen an order of the day 
signed by you that makes you the laughing stock of 
Germany, Austria and France. Have you no friend who 
will tell you the truth? You are a King and a brother 



318 THE CORSICAN [1809 

of the Emperor, — ridiculous title in warfare! You must 
be a soldier, and again a soldier, and always a soldier! 
You must bivouac with your outposts, spend night and 
day in the saddle, march with your advance guard so 
as to get information, or else remain in your seraglio. 
You wage war like a satrap. By Heaven! is it from me 
you have learned that ? — from me, who with an army 
of 200,000 men live with my skirmishers ? 

You have much ambition, some intelligence, a few good 
qualities, — but spoiled by silliness, by great presump- 
tion, — and have no real knowledge. In God's name 
keep enough wits about you to write and speak with 
propriety. 

18th. After matters are settled here, I hope that Spain 
will not hold us up very long. But it is to be feared that 
the English will attempt something, and I can see very 
little brains to take care of things there. 

August 3d. (To the Polish deputation.) One does what 
one can. Poland is a question on which all negotiations 
wnth Russia fail. Russia sees quite well that she is vul- 
nerable only through Poland. If I were Emperor of Rus- 
sia I would never consent to the least increase of the 
Duchy of Warsaw; just as I would meet death, and ten 
armies behind me, in defence of Belgium; and more than 
that I would raise an eleventh army of women and children 
to fight and to defend the interests of France. 

I know that the rccstahlishment of Poland would bal- 
ance Europe, but you must see that Russia would never 
consent unless her armies were totally destroyed. The 
rerst.iblishment of Poland is not, at this moment, within 
the power of France. I will not make war on Russia. 



iET.40] A DIARY 319 

15th. (Message to the Senate.) Senators, we have 
thought proper to acknowledge in the most marked 
manner the special services rendered to us in the cam- 
paign just concluded by our cousins, the Prince of Neu- 
chatel and the Dukes of Auerstadt and of Rivoli. We 
have therefore erected the castle of Chambord into a 
principality, under the style of principality of Wagram, to 
be possessed by our cousin the Prince of Neuchatel and 
by his descendants. We have erected the castle of Brtihl 
into a principality, under the style of principality of Eck- 
miihl, to be possessed by our cousin the Duke of Auerstadt 
and his descendants. And we have erected the castle of 
Thouars into a principality, under the style of principal- 
ity of Essling, to be possessed by our cousin the Duke of 
Rivoli and his descendants. 

(To General Clarke.) I have your letter of the 8th. I 
don't exactly understand the event in Spain (Talavera), 
or what took place. The King says that for a month past 
he has manoeuvred with 40,000 men against 100,000. 
Write to him that it is his own fault; they don't under- 
stand the art of war at Madrid. 

27th. The conferences at Altenburg still continue, but 
it appears that the English raid on Zeeland has given the 
Austrian negotiators new hopes, or makes them delay. 

September 6th. (To Fouche.) Maret will send you a 
collection of all the banknotes. You will find herewith 
a decree on the subject. I want you to start manufac- 
turing these notes in all denominations, to total not more 
than 100 millions. It is by means of this paper money 
that Austria was able to make war on me; and it is by 
the same means that she may be able to renew it. That 



320 THE CORSICAN [1809 

being the case, my policy, in time of peace as in time of 
war, is to destroy this paper money and to force Austria 
to come back to a metalHc currency, which would nat- 
urally compel her to reduce her army and the insane ex- 
penditure by means of which she has threatened the safety 
of mj' dominions. I wish this business to be carried through 
with the utmost secrecy. My object, however, is far more 
political than a matter of speculation or profit. There is 
no quiet to be looked for in Europe so long as the House 
of Austria can supply itself with loans of 300 or 400 mil- 
lions by the credit of its paper money. 

10th, Schoenbrunn: 

(To Champagny.) I inclose the letter written to me 
by the Austrian Emperor. I do not exactly understand 
the object of his step, unless the letter is a passport to 
enable his aide-de-camp to reach Vienna and have a con- 
versation with me. The aide-de-camp says that the Em- 
peror has declared that he approves the proposed bases, 
and is disposed to make sacrifices. I replied that the Em- 
peror of Austria is always of the opinion of the last speaker, 
and that in five or six years he would begin the war again 
and become once more the tool of England. After that 
the aide-de-camp made the usual Austrian speeches and 
spoke of an alliance. I told him that the House of Aus- 
tria had always rejected it; that we were two bulls strug- 
gling for the love of Italy and of Germany; and that so 
long as Austrian sentiment remained what it was, there 
could be no possible undorstandiiig. 

23d. (To Maret.) I do not propose giving the Emperor 
of Austria the title of "Ajjostolic." You will make be- 
lieve that you understood this title to belong to the Em- 



iET. 40] A DIARY 321 

peror of Germany; as he is no longer that, he is no more 
apostolic than I am; I am as christian as he is. 

30th. (To Joachim Napoleon.) I think you should give 
nothing to your minister Saliceti, because he has not been 
in your service long enough. As a rule give nothing to 
people who have not worked ten years for you. You are 
right in making the rule that no member of the diplo- 
matic corps can see either you or the Queen. They are 
spies, and insatiable, and the better you treat them the 
worse they abuse you. Notwithstanding the Emperor 
of Russia's practice of inviting Caulaincourt to dinner 
twice a week, I have never invited Prince Kourakine. 
Base yourself on the principle that the less the diploma- 
tic corps see you the better. 

October 3d. (Note.) The Institute proposes conferring 
on the Emperor the title of Augustus and of Germanicus. 
Augustus gained one battle, at Actium. Germanicus won 
the sympathy of Rome by his misfortunes, but his life 
shows a decidedly moderate record. There is nothing to 
provoke emulation in the memory of the Roman Em- 
perors. The only man, and he was not an Emperor, who 
was distinguished by his character and by his many illus- 
trious achievements was Caesar. If the Emperor could 
wish a new title it would be that of Csesar. But so many 
puny princes have dishonoured that title, — if such a 
thing were possible, — that it no longer evokes the mem- 
ory of the great Csesar, but that of a mass of German 
sovereigns, as feeble as they were ignorant, of whom not 
one has left a reputation behind him. 

The Emperor's title is Emperor of the French. 

10th. In a battle even the most skilful soldiers find it 



322 THE CORSICAN [1809 

difficult to estimate the enemy's numbers, and as a rule, 
one is apt instinctively to exaggerate the number. But 
if one is foolish enough to accept an inflated estimate 
of the enemy's forces, then every cavalry colonel on re- 
connaissance espies an army, and every captain of light 
infantry battalions. Again I repeat that in war morale 
and opinion are half the battle. The art of the great 
captain has always been to make his troops appear very 
numerous to the enemy, and the enemy's very few to his 
own. So that to-day, in spite of the long time we have 
spent in Germany, the enemy do not know my real 
strength. We are constantly striving to magnify our num- 
bers. Far from confessing that I had only 100,000 men 
at Wagram, I am constantly suggesting that I had 220,000. 
In my Italian campaigns, in which I had only a handful 
of troops, I always exaggerated my numbers. It served 
my purpose, and has not lessened my glory. My generals 
and practised soldiers could always perceive, after the 
event, all the skilfulness of my operations, even that of 
having exaggerated the numbers of my troops. 

12th. At parade to-day a young man of seventeen, the 
son of a Lutheran pastor of Erfurt, tried to get near me. 
Some officers stopped him, and as the boy showed con- 
fusion, suspicion was aroused, he was searched, and a 
dagger was found on him. I have ordered him to be 
brought before me. 

What did you want of me ? 

(Staps: To kill you). 

What have I done to you? Who made you my judge? 

(I wanted to bring the war to an end.) 



^T.40] A DIARY 323 

Why didn't you go to the Emperor Francis? 

(He ? What for ? He doesn't count. And if he died 
another would succeed him; but after you the French 
would disappear from Germany.) 

Do you repent ? 

(No!) 

Would you do it again ? 

(Yes!) 

What, even if I spared you ? 

(To Fouche.) The wretched boy, who seems to be 
pretty well educated, told me that he wanted to assas- 
sinate me to rid Austria of the presence of the French. 
I could find in him no traces of religious or of political 
fanaticism. He seemed to have no clear idea of who 
Brutus was. His excitement prevented my finding out 
more. He will be questioned after he has cooled down 
and fasted. Possibly it all amounts to nothing. 

I have sent you the news of this incident to prevent its 
importance being exaggerated. I hope nothing will be 
said about it; if there should be talk, make out that the 
fellow is insane. If there is none, keep the matter a 
close secret. There was no scene at the parade; I myself 
had no notion that anything had happened. 

14th. Peace was signed at two o'clock by Champagny 
and Prince Liechtenstein. 

15th. The individual named Staps, arrested in the 
courtyard of Schoenbrunn with a dagger in his possession, 
shall be tried by court-martial. 

21st, Munich: 

(To the Empress.) I arrived here yesterday, and in 
good health. I shall stop one day in Stuttgardt. You shall 



324 THE CORSICAN [1809 

have twenty-four hours' notice of ray arrival at Fon- 
tainebleau. I am impatient to sec you again. 

22d. (To the Empress.) Dear friend: I start in one hour; 
I shall reach Fontainebleau on the 26th or 27th; you may 
go there with a few of your ladies. 

26th, Fontainebleau: 

I have arrived; it is ten o'clock in the morning. The 
weather is lovely. 

November 23d, Paris: 

(To General Clarke.) Summon a council of the Guard 
to go over the accounts and get it into shape for the Span- 
ish campaign. I propose going to Spain with nearly 
25,000 men. I want the Guard all ready to start about 
the 15th of January. 

30th. The divorce question. 

(To Josephine.) Will you do it of your own free will, 
or won't you? My mind is made up! 

December 1st. Josephine sent me word that she con- 
sented. As we were sitting down to dinner she suddenly 
uttered a cry and fainted. 

3d. I have annexed Tuscany to the Empire. Its people 
are worthy of it because of their good character and of 
the attachment their forefathers have always shown us, 
and of the .services they have rendered to European civili- 
zation. 

(To the Empress.) I am going to Paris, dear friend. 
I want to hear that you are happy. I shall see you some 
time this week. I have received your letters which I 
shall read in the carriage. 

15lli. (To Prince Canibaceres.) My Cousin: We have 
ordered the convocation of a privy council to be held 



2ET.40] A DIARY 325 

to-day at nine in the evening at our palace of the Tui- 
leries. 

We have deemed it proper not to assist in person at this 
Council, and we have written the present letter to inform 
you that it is our will that you should place before it the 
following proposed Senatus Consultum: 

The Senate, in view of the decree of the 15th of the 
present month drawn up by the Archchancellor, decrees 
as follows: 

The marriage contracted between the Emperor Na- 
poleon and the Empress Josephine is dissolved. 

The ceremony took place in the state apartments of 
the Tuileries and was very touching; all those present 
wept. 

The policy of my Empire, the interests, the needs of 
my people, which have guided all my actions, demand that 
I should leave after me, to my children, — the heirs of my 
affection for my people, — the throne on which Provi- 
deiice has placed me. I have, however, for some years 
past, lost hope of having children from my marriage with 
my beloved wife the Empress Josephine : and it is this 
has brought me to sacrifice my dearest affections, to con- 
sider only the good of the State, and to wish the dissolu- 
tion of our marriage. At the age of forty I may yet hold 
the hope of living long enough to bring up in my own 
way of thinking the children which it may please Provi- 
dence to grant me. God knows how much my present 
resolve has cost me, but no sacrifice goes beyond my 
courage when it can be shown to be for the interests of 
France. 



326 THE CORSICAN [1809 

17th, Trianon: 

(To the Empress Josephine.) I think, dear friend, that 
you were weaker than you should have been to-day. 
You have shown courage; you must keep it up; you must 
not give way to a dangerous melancholy; you must be 
happy, and look after your health, which is so precious 
to me. If you are attached to me, if you love me, you must 
show strength. You cannot doubt my constant and lov- 
ing friendship, and you would only show how little you 
know me if you thought that I could be happy unless you 
are. Good-bye, dear friend, sleep well, — remember that 
I want you to. 

18th. My expenses are enormous and I really must 
consider reforms. My army, on its present basis, would 
eat up three times the actual revenue of France. 

19th. (To the Empress.) I have just received your 
letter. Savary tells me that you do nothing but cry; it's 
very wrong of you. I hope that you were able to get out 
to-day. I have sent you some game from my bag. I will 
come and see you when you let me know that you are 
more reasonable, and that your courage has returned. 
Good-bye, dear friend, I also am sad to-day; I want to 
hear that you are contented, and are regaining your 
balance. Sleep well. 

(To Marshal Augereau.) I have received your letter 
of the 11th of December, with the capitulation of Gcrona, 
which your aide-de-camp has handed me. Your news 
gives me a double pleasure, because of the importance of 
the fortress, and because it is you have captured it. 

22d. (To the Empress Josephine.) I would have come 
to see you to-day had it not been necessary for me to 



MT.m A DIARY 327 

call on the King of Bavaria who has just arrived in Paris 
I hope to see you to-morrow. 

27th. (To Josephine.) Eugene tells me you were quite 
sad yesterday; it is very wrong of you, dear friend, and 
contrary to what you had promised. I am very bored at 
seeing the Tuileries again; this great palace seems empty 
and I feel isolated. 

31st. To-day there is a grand parade; I shall see all 
my Old Guard with sixty artillery trains. 

(To Alexander I, Emperor of Russia.) My Brother: I 
have received a second note from your Chancellor Roman- 
zoff ; it grieves me. Why turn back to matters that were 
disposed of by my letter from Vienna ? After all this, 
I don't know what people want; I cannot destroy chi- 
meras or tilt against clouds. I leave it to Your Majesty 
to decide which of us holds closer to the language of al- 
liance and friendship. A beginning of suspicion means 
that Erfurt and Tilsit are already forgotten. 



1810 

January 1st, Fans: \'t>\ 

Hereafter the Popes shall swear allegiance to me, as they 
did to Charlemagne and his predecessors. They will not 
be inducted until after my consent, as the use was for the 
Emperors of Constantinople to confirm them. But from 
the present Pope I demand nothing; I ask him for no 
oath, not even to recognise the annexation of Rome to 
France; I have no need for it. 

17th, Trianon: 

(To Josephine.) D'Audenarde, whom I sent to you this 
morning, tells me that since you reached Malmaison all 
your courage has gone. And yet the place is full of our 
love, which must and can never change, at least on my 
side. I want to see you very much; but I must be sure 
that you will be strong and not weak; I feel the same 
way, a little, myself, and it makes me suffer horribly. 
Good-bye, Josephine, good-night; you would be ingrate 
to doubt me. 

February Gth, Paris: 

A council was held a few days back at which opinions 
were divided as to the Russian and Austrian princesses. 

(To Champagny.) I must ask you to get the courier 
ofif to Russia, according to my instructions, before going 
to bed. Do not mention to-night's session. To-morrow 
niglit, after you have coneluded with Prince Schwarzen- 
berg, you will send off a second one, announcing that I 



^T. 40] A DIARY 329 

have decided for the Austrian. Come to my levee to- 
morrow, and bring me the contract of Louis XVI with 
the documents. 

7th. So people are pleased that I am marrying, are 
they? 

(Decres: Yes, sire, very much so.) 

I understand! — they think the lion is going to sleep. 
Well, they are mistaken. He might perhaps enjoy sleep 
as much as any one. But can't you see that although I 
always appear to be attacking, yet what I am doing is 
defending myself all the time ? 

(To Champagny.) Kindly transmit the following in- 
structions to M. Otto. As the courier carrying the mar- 
riage contract may reach Vienna on the 13th, he can send 
one back on the 14th to confirm the ratification; we shall 
get this in Paris on the 21st. The Prince of Neuchatel, 
who has been designated as Ambassador Extraordinary 
for requesting the hand of the Princess, could start on the 
22d; he would reach Vienna on the 28th or 29th, and 
present his request on the following day. Before his ar- 
rival M. Otto must have settled all the questions of cere- 
monial for celebrating the marriage by procuration. The 
marriage might be fixed for the 2d of March. The Prin- 
cess could finish the Carnival in Vienna, and start on 
Ash Wednesday. 

23d, Rambouillet: 

The convention for the contract of marriage between 
me and the Archduchess Maria Louisa was ratified at 
Vienna on the 16th. 

(To the Archduchess Maria Louisa of Austria.) My 
Cousin: the brilliant qualities that mark you have made 



330 THE CORSICAN [isio 

me wish to serve and honour you. May I hope that you 
will look fuvouriiljly on the step I have taken in begging 
the Emperor your father to intrust your happiness to 
me ? May I flatter myself that your approval will not 
be wholly determined by duty and obedience to your 
parents ? If only Your Imperial Highness will manifest 
some little partiality for me I am determined, by making 
it my constant effort to please you in all things, to succeed 
in making myself agreeable to you sooner or later; that 
is my object, one for which I beg the favour of Your Im- 
perial Highness. 

March -ith. (To the Deputation of the Senate.) Sen- 
ators, I am touched by the sentiments you have expressed. 
The Empress Maria Louisa will be a tender mother for 
the French Nation, and in so doing will make my happi- 
ness. I rejoice that Providence has called me to reign 
over this loving and responsive Nation that I have ever 
found so faithful and so good to mC through the events 
of my life. 

11th. (ToFouche.) I had told you to prevent the news- 
papers from writing about the Empress Josephine, yet 
they do almost nothing else: to-day again the PuhUciste 
is full of it. See to it that the papers to-morrow don't 
republish the Puhlidstes news. 

16th. (To Champagny.) Make up the courier's bag 
for St. Petersburg. Inform tlic Duke of Viccnza that the 
grievances of Russia u])i)ear ridiculous to me; that he 
must talk lo the EmixTor slraiglil; that llic Km{)eror 
does me an injustice in believing that there was a double 
negotiation; that I know enough not to have done such 
a thing; that it was only when it became clear that the 



iET.40] A DIARY 331 

Emperor was not master in his own family, and that he 
was not acting up to our agreement of Erfurt, that we 
opened a negotiation with iVustria, a negotiation begun 
and concluded in twenty-four hours, because Austria 
had sent her Ambassador full powers that covered the 
case. 

20th. I am starting for Compiegne. 

28th, Compiegne: 

(To Francis I, Emperor of Austria.) Monsieur mon 
Frere et Beau Pere : Your Majesty's daughter arrived here 
two days ago. She fulfils all my expectations and during 
these two days I have not ceased to give and to receive 
from her the proofs of the tender sentiments that unite 
us. We suit one another perfectly. I shall make her hap- 
piness, and shall owe mine to Your Majesty. 

To morrow we start for Saint Cloud, and on the 2d of 
April we will celebrate the ceremony of our marriage 
at the Tuileries. 

(To the Archduke Charles.) My Cousin: I owe many 
thanks to Your Imperial Highness for having consented 
to act as my representative at my marriage with the 
Archduchess Maria Louisa. She arrived here two days 
ago, and I have very sincerely renewed to her the pro- 
mises that you made in my name. 

Your Highness knows that my high regard for you 
dates back many years, and is founded on your high quali- 
ties and actions. I am anxious to mark it by some sub- 
stantial token, and so beg you to accept the Grand Eagle 
of the Legion of Honour. I also beg you to accept the 
medal of the Legion of Honour, which I myself wear, 
and which is worn by twenty thousand soldiers who have 



332 THE CORSICAN [isio 

been mutilated or distinguished on the field of battle. 
The one is a tribute to your talent as a general, and the 
other to your rare courage as a soldier. 

April 21st, Compiegne: 

(To the Empress Josephine.) Dear friend: I have re- 
ceived your letter of the 19th of April; it is in bad taste. 
I am always the same; men like me never change. It 
pleases me to hear that you propose going to Malmaison, 
and that you are happy; it would make me so to hear 
from you and to reply. I leave you to judge who is the 
better and more friendly, you or I. Good-bye, dear friend; 
keep well, and be fair to yourself and to me. 

28th. (To the Empress Josephine.) Don't listen to the 
gossips of Paris; they are good-for-nothings who are far 
from knowing the real facts. My sentiments for you 
are unchangeable and I am anxious to hear that you are 
happy and contented. 

May 20th, Bruges: 

(To Josephine.) I want to see you. If you are at Mal- 
maison at the end of the month I shall come to see you. 
I expect to reach Saint Cloud on the 30th. My health 
is excellent, all I need is to have you happy and well. 

23d, Lille: 

(To Louis, King of Holland.) It is time I should 
know whether you really intend being an affliction for 
Holland, and by your folly bringing that country to ruin. 
I will not permit you to send a minister to .Vustria. I will 
not allow you to dismiss the Frenchmen who are in your 
service. I shall not maintain an ambassador in Hollaml 
any longer, but leave only a charge d'afTaires. Don't 
write me any more of your platitudes; 1 have been listen- 



iET. 40-41] A DIARY 333 

ing to them for three years past. This is the last time in 
my Hfe I shall ever write to you. 

July 1st, Paris: 

What does Russia want ? Is it war ? Why these con- 
tinuous complaints ? Why these insulting doubts ? Had 
I wished to restore Poland I would have said so, and I 
would not have withdrawn my troops from Germany. 
Does Russia wish to prepare me for her defection ? I 
shall be at war with her the very day she makes peace 
with England. 

I do not wish to restore Poland. I do not wish to ac- 
complish my destiny in the sands and the desert. But I 
will not dishonour myself by declaring that the kingdom 
of Poland will never be restored. No, I cannot undertake 
to arm against people who have always shown me the 
greatest good-will and constant devotion. For their own 
sake and for Russia's I exhort them to be quiet and to 
submit, but I will not declare myself their enemy, and I 
will not say to the French : your blood must flow to place 
Poland under the yoke of Russia. 

September 6th, Saint Cloud: 

(To Charles XIII, King of Sweden.) My Brother: 
Count Rosen has handed me your letter of the 21st of 
August. Your Majesty informs me that the Diet has 
chosen the Prince of Ponte Corvo as Prince Royal of 
Sweden, and asks me for my permission for him to accept. 
I was quite unprepared for this intelligence. Yet I ap- 
preciate the sentiments that have led the Swedish na- 
tion to give to my people and my army this proof of its 
esteem. I authorise the Prince of Ponte Corvo to accept 
the throne to which he is called by Your Majesty and the 
Swedish people. 



334 THE CORSICAN [I810 

November 4th, Fontainebleau: 

The colonial produce placed on the market at the 
Leipzig fair was conveyed in 700 carts from Russia; which 
means that to-day the whole trade in colonial produce 
goes through Russia, and that the 1200 merchantmen 
that were masked by the Swedish, Portugese, Spanish, 
aind American flags, and that were escorted by twenty 
English men-of-war, have in part discharged their car- 
goes in Russia. 

23d, Paris: 

(To General Savary.) In to-day's number the Journal 
de VEmpire states that I was having a statue of the Em- 
peror of Austria made in Vienna, doubtless with a view 
to placing it in some public square of Paris. Don't fail 
to tell M. Etienne that the next time he allows such stuflf 
to get into print I shall discharge him from the editor- 
ship of the paper. 

The Germans are so notoriously silly that I am sur- 
prised that Etienne, who ought to know better, should be 
taken in. Why not repeat, on the authority of the German 
papers, that I kiss the slipper of the Princess Louisa, whom 
I don't even know ? There is a thing with extreme absurd- 
ity to recommend it. It is the newspapers of Paris that 
should state what I am doing, not the gazettes of Vienna. 

December 5th. The Russians are throwing up many 
earthworks on the Dwina and even on the Dniester. 

(To Champagny.) Lot me have on the loth of Decem- 
ber a staleuKMit showing the strength of the troops of 
the Confederation of the Rhine, including the Duchy of 
Warsaw, another for the Russian army, and another for 
the Austrian. 



^T. 41] A DIARY 335 

26th. We have news from London up to the 22d, show- 
ing that Massena still occupied Santarem ; there had been 
a few skirmishes in which the English had been repulsed, 
and Lord Wellington had fallen back on his positions at 
Lisbon. 



1811 

January 5th. The Emperor desires that M. Barbier 
should send him as soon as possible the results of his 
investigations as to whether there are instances of Em- 
perors having suspended or deposed Popes. 

Yesterday, at the Council of State, I took occasion to 
ask Count Portalis whether he had seen a libel by the Pope 
now circulating here incenting to rebellion. After hesi- 
tating, this Councillor of State admitted that he had, 
whereupon I dismissed him from my Council, deprived 
him of his offices, and exiled him forty leagues from Paris. 

February 28th. (To Alexander, Emperor of Russia.) I 
have commissioned Prince Tschernitchef to present my 
compliments to Your Majesty. My sentiments have 
not changed, although I realize that Your Majesty is 
no longer my friend; our alliance is already broken in 
the eyes of England and of Europe; even if it still sub- 
sisted in Your Majesty's mind, as it does in mine, this 
widespread opinion would do the greatest harm. I re- 
main in my old position, but I am struck by these ob- 
vious facts, and by the opinion that as soon as an oppor- 
tunity presents itself Your Majesty is ready to come to 
an understanding with England, which is equivalent to 
beginning war between our two Empires. 

March Dili. (To the Prince of Neuchatel.) Please write 
a personal letter to General Suchet expressing my satis- 
faction with his conduct in the recent canipaifin, and 
stating that I expect much from him in pushing the siege 



^T.4i] A DIARY 337 

of Tarragona briskly. It is in Tarragona he will find his 
baton of Marshal of France. 

19th. At seven in the afternoon the Empress sent for 
me. I found her on the sofa, feeling the first pains. She 
went to bed at eight, and from that moment felt rather 
acute pains, but that brought the event no nearer. The 
doctors thought it might be another twenty-four hours, 
so I dismissed the Court and informed the members of 
the Senate, the municipality, and the Chapter of Paris, 
who were all assembled, that they could retire. 

20th. This morning at eight Dubois ran in, he was pale 
as death and very agitated; I shouted to him: — Well, is 
she dead? If she is dead, we will have a funeral ! — -because 
I am accustomed to great events, and it is not when I am 
brought face to face with them that they affect me; it's 
only afterwards. Whatever news might be brought to 
me I should show nothing. It is only an hour later that 
I feel any bad effects. 

Dubois answered no, but that the child presented it- 
self sideways. It was most unfortunate, because that 's a 
thing that doesn't happen once in two thousand times. 
I ran down quickly to the Empress' apartments. She 
was screaming horribly. I am not soft-hearted, and yet 
to see her suffering as she was moved me. Dubois, who 
had lost his head, decided to wait for Corvisart, who put 
new courage into him. The Duchess of Montebello stood 
around like a fool. Ivan and Corvisart held the Em- 
press. . . . 

The King of Rome was at least a minute before he ut- 
tered a sound ; as I came in he was lying on the carpet as 
though dead. Mme. de Montebello wanted to adhere to 



338 THE CORSICAN [I8ll 

etiquette. Corvisart sent her about her business. At last, 
after considerable friction, the child came to; he had only 
been scratched on the head by the irons. The Empress 
had thought it was all over with her; she was convinced 
that she would be sacrificed for the child; and yet I had 
said that the opposite should be done. 

21st. The child is perfectly well; the Empress as well 
as can be expected ; she has already slept a little and taken 
a little nourishment. 

22d. Monge, Berthollet, Laplace, are thoroughgoing 
atheists. My belief is that man sprang from earth heated 
by the sun and combined with electric fluids. 

April 2d. The Emperor Alexander is already far from 
the ideas of Tilsit; every suggestion of war has its origin 
in Russia. Unless the Emperor turns the current back 
very promptly, it will certainly carry him away next 
year in spite of himself, in spite of the interests of France, 
and of those of Russia; I have so often watched the pro- 
cess that my experience of the past unfolds the future to 
me. It is all an opera setting with the English pulling the 
wires. 

13th. I have appointed the 2d of June next for the 
baptism of the King of Rome, which will be celebrated at 
Notre Dame, where the Empress and I will proceed in 
state to render thanks to God for his birth. After the 
ceremony I shall dine at the Hotel de Ville of my good 
city of Paris, and will attend the illuminations. On the 
same day a Te Deum will be sung throughout the Empire. 

May 27th, Caen: 

I cannot appoint a coniniandor-in-chicf for all my armies 
in Spain, because I can find no one fit for the job. 



iET. 41-42] A DIARY 339 

June 23d, Saint Cloud: 

So many horses have been bought up for Spain and 
for army remounts, that France has been drained of 
horses. 

July 5th. (To Marshal Davout.) Colonial produce com- 
ing from Sweden and from Prussia must be confiscated, 
because it comes from England; all colonial produce 
must be confiscated, wherever it comes from, because 
it all comes from England. Issue orders and see to it 
that all colonial produce is confiscated wherever it comes 
from. 

15th, Trianon: 

(To Maret.) There are no American ships; all the so- 
called American ships are English, or chartered on Eng- 
lish account; if the American minister maintains the 
contrary, he doesn't know what he is talking about. 

August 18th, Paris: 

Gentlemen, deputies of the department of the Lippe, 
the city of Munster belonged to an ecclesiastical prince : 
deplorable result of ignorance and superstition ! You had 
no fatherland. Providence, that has enabled me to restore 
the throne of Charlemagne, has by a natural course 
brought you back, together with Holland and the Han- 
seatic cities, within the fold of the Empire. From the 
moment when you became Frenchmen, my heart makes 
no difference between you and the other parts of my do- 
minions. As soon as circumstances permit I shall feel 
a keen satisfaction in visiting your country. 

September 25 th, on board the Charlemagne off Flush- 
ing: 

We have been thirty-six hours without communication 



340 THE CORSICAN [isii 

with the land because a storm sprang up. It did not pre- 
vent my eating and sleeping well. The sea was rough, 
but the anchorage is a good one. As the weather is mod- 
erating. I expect to put the fleet through evolutions 
to-morrow. 

30th, Antwerp: ^ 

I arrived to-day at one in the morning, very pleased 
with my fleet, with its appearance, its morale, and its 
manoeuvring power. 

November 1st, Wesel: 

The Empress Maria Louisa has only 500,000 francs; 
she settles her accounts every week; she goes without 
dresses and accepts all sorts of deprivations so as not to 
get into debt. 

3d, Dusseldorf : 

To-morrow I shall review several regiments of cuiras- 
siers at Cologne. After that I go straight to Paris. 

6th, Cologne: 

If Russia will disarm I am perfectly willing to do the 
same; it would quiet Prussia and reassure the world; but 
she must not show us displeasure, a thing which, as be- 
tween great Powers, always implies war. 

December 2d, Paris: 

(To Davout.) I rejily to one of your last letters. The 
Germans complain that at Rostock you declared that 
you would know how to prevent Germany becoming a 
second Spain; that so long as you were in command, no 
one would venture to stir. There is no parallel between 
Spain and the provinces of Germany. Sj)ain would long 
since have been concjuered without her 00,000 Knj^Mish 
and her 1000 leagues of coastline, and without the 100 



iET.42] A DIARY 341 

millions she has drawn from America. But as in Germany 
we have no America, no sea, no great number of fortresses, 
no 60,000 English, there is nothing to fear. 

I don't know why Rapp interferes in what does not Q 
concern him. Why does he talk about what is going on 
in Hungary, of the state of opinion in the Confederation, 
when he is at a distance from those countries? Let him 
look after his own government and attend to his own busi- 
ness, and confine his reports to Dantzig and its neighbour- 
hood. I must ask you not to place such rhapsodies before 
me again ; my time is too valuable to spend it over such 
rubbish. Do you propose to post me on affairs in Hungary 
and Austria by reports from Dantzig, especially coming 
from Rapp, a weak man of whom I have little enough 
opinion, save when he is actually on the battlefield.'^ It all 
results merely in wasting my time and fouling my imagi- 
nation with absurd pictures and suppositions. 

13th. (To Count Decres.) I have received your letter, 
and I do not agree with your views. I think too much of 
your services to grant your request. Remain in the posi- 
tion in which Providence and my will have placed you; 
you are in strong enough health to serve me another ten 
years. 

16th. The Princes of the Confederation must be noti- 
fied as to the necessity for remounting their cavalry and 
preparing their contingents. 

The Guard must be got ready for active service. 

17th. (To General Savary.) The Tuscan newspapers 
give in great detail all the doings of the Grand Duchess. 
The Paris newspapers, as might be expected, reproduce 
them too frequently. I read in one article that some 



342 THE CORSICAN [I8II 

French crews shouted "Vive Ehza! Vive I'Empereur!" 
The thing is too ridiculous! 

19th. His Majesty wants the most detailed accounts 
we have in French of the campaign of Charles XII in 
Poland and in Russia. 



1812 

January 16th, Paris: 

(To the Prince of Neuchatel and of Wagram.) My 
Cousin : Everything that belongs to your staff and to 
general headquarters must be assembled at Mainz be- 
tween the 15th of February and the 1st of March. 

24th. I propose having 2016 carts, 4 battalions total- 
ling 2424 carriages, 4 battalions of ox teams making 
1224 carts, one battalion of ox teams for the kingdom of 
Italy with 306 carts; grand total 17 battalions with close 
on 6000 vehicles, and carrying 5500 to 6000 tons, equal 
to one million rations of flour, or enough to supply an 
army of 200,000 men for two months. 

February 18th. (To Marshal Marmont.) You are supe- 
rior to the enemy, and yet instead of taking the initiative 
you accept the defensive. You are constantly moving 
your troops and fatiguing them. That is not the art of 
war. The capture of Ciudad Rodrigo is a check for you. 

19th. (To Marshal Bessieres.) Start the 3d regiment 
of the grenadiers of the Guard to-morrow, the 20th, for 
Metz, without going through Paris. The regiment will 
take its guns and wagons with it. Order the Polish light 
horse to Compiegne to-morrow. Keep the secret, so that 
the Poles shall not know where they are going. Take good 
care to make these movements at night and that the troops 
do not know their destination. 

21st. Order for the Prince of Eckmiihl to begin his 
movement immediately. 



344 THE CORSICAN [1812 

24th. (To the Emperor Alexander.) After the arrival 
of the courier sent off by Count Lauriston on the 6th of 
this month, I decided to have a talk with Colonel Tscher- 
nitchef on the unfortunate events of the last fifteen 
months. It lies entirely with Your Majesty to settle 
everything. I hope Your Majesty will never doubt my 
anxiety to display every proof of my highest regard. 

March 28th. (To Prince Eugene, Viceroy of Italy.) 
Get everything ready for a start, as in three or four days 
I will send for you to come to Paris, and it may be that 
from Paris you will proceed directly to Glogau, and from 
Glogau to your army corps. I must not leave you in ig- 
norance of the fact that I concluded an alliance with Aus- 
tria several months ago, and that she will make common 
cause with me, and furnish me with a contingent of 
40,000 men. 

April 23d. (To the Prince of Ncuchatel.) We are get- 
ting closer to war, and must increase in firmness and vigi- 
lance. Here are my instructions: It is in conformity with 
the spirit of the treaty that no Prussian general or offi- 
cer should command in Berlin; there must be no Prus- 
sian troops in the city; it must be under the control of 
a French general. The best way of insuring the tran- 
quillity of Prussia is to leave her incapable of making a 
single movement. 

The Duke of Bclluno must always show the greatest 
respect for the King and the Prussian government; this 
may bo carried to the point of affectation on all ceremonial 
and similar occasions. 

May 4th. (To Berthier.) On Tuesday you may hand 
over to the Minister of War all business relating to the 



MT.m A DIARY 345 

armies in Spain, so that you can be ready to start on the 
night of Tuesday to Wednesday. 

21st, Dresden: 

I arrived here day before yesterday with the Empress, 
and the Emperor and Empress of Austria. I expect to 
remain several days. My whole army is on the Vistula. 
As yet there are no new developments. Hostilities have 
not yet begun. 

26th. I may possibly open war operations on the 6th 
of June, without being at war, however, as I shall have 
six or eight days' marching in the territory of Prussia 
and the Grand Duchy. 

June 6th, Thorn: 

(To General Clarke.) It would seem that people in 
Paris view the army as the end of all things, and try to 
find excuses for not joining. Recall all officers on leave 
and send them to the front. 

The fortress of Thorn appears to be in a state of an- 
archy. 

The Guard is concentrating here. I expect to parade 
it to-morrow, to settle some questions of administration, 
and to push on to Marienberg and Dantzig. 

5th. (To Jerome.) I believe I have already told you 
how best to open the campaign: first, make a show of 
entering Volhynia, and hold the enemy there as much as 
possible while I outmarch them on their extreme right, 
and gain twelve or fifteen days' march in the direction 
of St. Petersburg. I shall cross the Niemen and take 
Vilna, which is the first objective of the campaign. 

When our manoeuvre is unmasked, the enemy will 



346 THE CORSICAN [1812 

decide on one of the two following alternatives: they will 
either retreat into the interior so as to concentrate for 
battle, or they will take the offensive. 

8th, Dantzig: 

(To Josephine.) It will always be with the greatest 
interest that I hear from you, dear friend. I hope the 
waters will do you good, and I look forward with pleasure 
to seeing you on your return. I will attend to all the 
matters you refer to. 

10th, Dantzig: 

To-morrow I start for Koenigsberg, which I shall reach 
at 2 A. M. on the 12th. 

13th, Koenigsberg: 

(To Berthier.) I send you a letter of to-day's date from 
Commissary Deschamps which reveals the bad situation 
of the 2d corps for provisions. It is entirely the fault of 
the Duke of Reggio and of the commissary. Tell the 
Marshal that it is most important he should have his 
supplies assured. 

15th. I am inclined to think the first shot will be 
fired on the 22d or 23d. To-morrow I shall carry my head- 
quarters to Wehlau. 

16th. (To Berthier.) Write to the Duke of Elchingen 
that his corps should not leave the route marked out for 
it, and that it is carrying devastation everywhere. 

17th, Insterburg: 

(To Eugene.) Stop your advance until further orders, 
for above all things you must have provisions. Let me 
know what amount of brojul you had on the evening of 
the 19th. I shall decide then whether to order you for- 
ward. In this country bread is the chief thing. 



^T.42] A DIARY 347 

(To Davout.) I assume you have supplies for twenty- 
five days. 

22d, Imperial headquarters, Wilkowyski: 
(Proclamation to the Grand Army.) Soldiers! The 
second Polish war has begun; the first ended at Fried- 
land and Tilsit. At Tilsit Russia pledged an eternal alli- 
ance with France, and war on England ! To-day her oath 
is broken. She refuses all explanations of her strange con- 
duct unless the French eagles recross the Rhine. Fate 
draws Russia on; her destiny must be accomplished! 
Does she then think us degenerate ? Are we no longer 
the soldiers of Austerlitz ? She places us between dis- 
honour and war; can our choice be in doubt? Forward, 
then, across the Niemen, and let us carry the war on 
to her own soil ! 

The Emperor orders the marshals and generals in 
command of army corps, of divisions and of brigades, and 
colonels, to take all measures for maintaining the strict- 
est discipline and for preventing the disorders that are 
beginning to ravage the country. 

24th, Kovno: 

(To the Prince of Neuchatel.) Tell the King of Naples 
that until he reaches the steppes he had better not en- 
cumber himself with too much cavalry; he must use the 
cuirassiers as little as possible; he only has to brush aside 
the enemy's light troops, and to try for news in the di- 
rection of Vilna. 

29th, Vilna: 

We entered Vilna yesterday; the enemy had evacuated 
the town after burning the bridge and immense quanti- 
ties of stores. 



348 THE CORSICAN [1812 

30th. We are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of our 
transport trains from Tilsit. 

(To Marshal Davout.) Herewith is a report of General 
Bordesoulle, which shows the movement of Doktourof's 
corps on Ochmiana ; try to discover the direction of the 
Russians. 

July 1st. (To the Emperor Alexander.) After having 
for eighteen months constantly refused to give me an 
explanation, Your Majesty has at last, through your 
Minister, placed a summons before me to evacuate 
Prussia as a preliminary to an understanding, A few 
days later this Minister asked for his passports, and three 
times repeated that demand. From that moment I was 
in a state of war with Your Majestj', and by that step 
Your Majesty was taking from Prussia that very inde- 
pendence which it appeared that Your Majesty wished 
to guarantee while pointing out to me the Caudine 
Forks. I pity the wickedness of those who could give 
Your Majesty such advice. But however it may be, never 
shall Russia use such language to France; it might possi- 
bly be accepted in the mouth of the Empress Catherine 
and addressed to the last of the Kings of Poland. 

War has therefore begun between us. God himself can- 
not undo what is done; but I shall always be ready to 
listen to proposals for peace, and when Your Majesty 
really attempts to cut loose from the influence of men 
who are the enemies of your family, of your glory, and of 
that of your Empire, you will always find me of the same 
mind and of equal friendship. 

3d. The whole of the Guard is at Vilna. The Vice- 
roy's corps is here. 



MT.i2] A DIARY 349 

4tli. (To Berthier.) Write to the Duke of Elchingen 
that the condition of his corps is alarming. Tell him to 
send out detachments of cavalry, commanded by staff 
officers, to bring the stragglers up; many of them are 
committing crimes, and will finish by getting picked up 
by the Cossacks. 

7th. The Guard must march. But I shall not feel easy 
until the Guard and headquarters have secured twenty 
days' provisions, as they come last and must set an ex- 
ample of discipline. 

8th. We lose so many horses in this country that with 
all the resources of France and Germany it will be very 
difficult to keep up the present strength of our mounted 
troops. 

10th. (To Berthier.) Send a brigade of gendarmes to 
Voronovo. They will arrest the looters of the 33d, who 
are devastating that country horribly. 

14th. Deputies of the Polish Confederation, I have 
listened to your address with interest. The love of coun- 
try is the highest virtue of civilized man. My position 
entails the harmonizing of many interests and the carry- 
ing out of many duties. Had I lived in the days of the 
first, the second, or the third partition of Poland, I would 
have armed my whole people to support you. I feel af- 
fection for your nation; during sixteen years your soldiers 
have fought by my side on the fields of Italy as on those 
of Spain. 

If your efforts are united you may hope to compel your 
enemies to recognise your rights. 

15th. The enemy have attacked Sebastiani's cav- 
alry. The King of Naples is taking position at Ikazni 



350 THE CORSICAN [1812 

with the 2d, 3d, and part of the 1st corps, and all his 
cavalry. 

19th, Gloubokoie: 

I have just got fresh news from Drissa. The enemy 
have abandoned their fortified camp. Their movements 
seem very uncertain. 

22d. The King of Naples is marching on Polotsk and has 
overrun the whole of the right bank of the Dwina with 
his cavalry. 

(To the Prince of NeuchAtel.) Reply to General Jomini 
that it is absurd to say there is no bread when we have 
25 tons of flour a day. Instead of complaining let him be 
up at four in the morning, proceed to the mills and to the 
baking ovens in person, and have 30,000 rations of bread 
baked every day; if he goes to sleep, or if he whines, he 
will get nothing. 

We shall soon have a battle that will eat up an enormous 
amount of powder and supplies: how are we to replenish 
our stores ? Must we send empty wagons back to Vilna ? 
That would mean a month or six weeks before we could 
get them to the front again. 

24th, Kamen: 

The enemy appear to be at Vitebsk; we are marching 
there. 

25th, Biechcnkovitchi : 

The Prince of Eckmiihl was in action on the 23d at 
Mohilef ; I have no details. Bagration attempted to force 
his way through but was tlirown back. 

26th. I am starting immediately. If the enemy hold 
their positions we shall have a battle day after to-mor- 
row. 



fiT. 42-43] A DIARY 351 

29th, Vitebsk: 

The enemy are retreating on all sides; we cannot catch 
them up. 

August 1st. General Guyon's light cavalry brigade has 
pushed as far as Nevel, and found nothing; the Viceroy 
has also pushed out detachments as far as Velije. 

2d. Nothing new. 

6th. I propose marching straight on the enemy, prob- 
ably by the left bank of the Dnieper, capturing Smolensk 
and bringing the Russian army to battle if it chooses to 
remain in its present position. 

7th. (To Barbier.) The Emperor would like a few 
amusing books. If there are any good new novels, or old 
ones he has not read, or some interesting memoirs, you 
might send them on, for we have spare time here that is 
not easy to kill. 

10th. My information is that the enemy have com- 
pletely withdrawn; we have pushed out parties for several 
leagues and have not seen them. 

15th, bivouac at Boyarintsova : 

I am marching on Smolensk. We may have a great 
battle to-morrow. The advance guard was engaged yes- 
terday, and the 27th Russian division was smashed. 

18th, Smolensk: 

I am just in, the heat is oppressive and there is much 
dust, which is rather tiring. The whole of the enemy's 
army was here; it was under orders to fight, but didn't 
dare to. We had to force our way into Smolensk. 

The Russian army, which is very discouraged and dis- 
satisfied, is retreating in the direction of Moscow. 

23d. (To the Countess de Montesquiou.) I have re- 



352 THE CORSICAN [1812 

ceived the King (of Rome's) portrait, and think it a good 
likeness. I have pleasure in taking this opportunity to 
express all my satisfaction for the good care that you 
take of him. 

(To Marshal Davout.) On hearing from j'ou to-night 
I shall move the Guard forward so that if the enemy will 
wait for us we can give battle. 

26th, Dorogobouje: 

After throwing up earthworks, batteries, and redoubts, 
and after announcing their intention of holding them, 
the enemy, as usual, have shown the white feather. We 
are now in this town, which is sizable, that is to say 
has eight or ten churches. The country is good, and 
people say it remains fertile all the way to Moscow. The 
heat is excessive, the weather splendid. Reports state 
the enemy are resolved to make a stand at Viazma. 

29th, Viazma: 

We have reached Viazma. The enemy continue their 
retreat on Moscow. 

September 1st, Velitchevo. 

The enemy are across the main road in front of the 
King of Naples and our advance guard. 

2d, Ghjiatsk: 

(To the Prince of Neuchatel.) My Cousin: Order the 
King of Naples, the Prince of Eckmiihl, the Viceroy, 
Prince Poniatowski, the Duke of Elchingen, to take a 
day's rest, to get in their stragglers, to have a roll-call at 
three in the afternoon, and to let me know precisely the 
number of men they can ])lacc in line 

The staff is useless; not one of the officers does his duty 
properly, not the provost -general, nor the (luartermaster. 



^T.431 A DIARY 353 

You have my order for the baggage. See to it that the 
first baggage wagons I order burnt are not those of the 
general staff. 

3d. (To the Prince of Neuchatel.) Write to officers 
commanding army corps that we lose many men daily 
because there is no system in the supply service; it is ur- 
gently necessary that they should take measures in con- 
cert with their colonels to put an end to a state of things 
that threatens the army with destruction. Every day the 
enemy pick up several hundred prisoners. During the 
twenty years in which I have commanded French armies, 
I have never seen the commissariat service so hopelessly 
bad; there is no one; the people sent out here have no 
ability and no experience. 

7th, on the heights of Borodino: 

Soldiers, here at last is the battle that you have so long 
expected ! Victory now depends on your efforts, and is 
essential. It will give us abundance, good winter quar- 
ters, and a speedy return to our country. Do what you 
did at Austerlitz, at Friedland, at Vitebsk, at Smolensk, 
and let posterity point with pride to your conduct on 
this day: let people say of you: "He was at that great 
battle fought under the walls of Moscow!" 

8th. Battle of Borodino. 

The battle of Borodino is the most glorious, most dif- 
ficult, and most creditable operation of war carried out 
by the Gauls, of which either ancient or modern history 
makes mention. Dauntless heroes, — Murat, Ney, Poni- 
atowski, — it is to you the glory is due! What great, what 
splendid deeds History might place on record! How our 
intrepid cuirassiers charged and sabred the gunners on 



354 THE CORSICAN [1812 

their guns; the heroic devotion of Montbrun, of Caulain- 
court, who found death in the midst of their glory; our 
gunners, in the open and without cover, firing against a 
heavier artillery protected by earthworks; and our brave 
infantry, at the most critical moment, not in need of 
their general's steadying voice, but calling out to him: 
"It 'sail right! your soldiers have sworn they will con- 
quer, and they will!" 

The Russian army of Austerlitz would not have been 
driven from the field of Borodino. 

9th, Mojaisk: 

(To Francis I, Emperor of Austria.) I take the earliest 
opportunity of informing Your Majesty of the fortunate 
result of the battle fought on the 7th of September at the 
village of Borodino. Knowing the personal interest Your 
Majesty is good enough to take in me, I wished to an- 
nounce the event myself; and to add that my health is 
perfect. I estimate the enemy's loss at 40,000 or 50,000; 
they had 120,000 to 130,000 men in line. I lost 8000 
or 10,000 killed and wounded. I captured 60 guns and a 
large number of prisoners. 

10th. We are in great need of French muskets; we want 
them at Vilna, at Minsk, at Smolensk, and at the abbey 
near the battlefield, to arm the stragglers and the wounded 
who have lost theirs. 

13th, Borisovka: 

We had marched but a few miles from Mojaisk when 
we were astonished to find ourselves, notwithstanding 
our proximity to one of the great capitals of the world, 
in the midst of a sandy and absolutely desert waste. 



^T.43] A DIARY 355 

The army crossed the place with difficulty. Our horses 
were harassed and worn out with hunger and thirst, for 
water was as scarce as forage. The men suffered very 
much. 

14th, Moscow: 

We arrived at Moscow in the evening. 

15th. The fire of Moscow begins. 

18th. We are following the enemy, who have with- 
drawn beyond the Volga. We have found immense quan- 
tities of valuables in Moscow, which was a beautiful city. 
Russia will not recover from her loss in two hundred years. 
Without exaggeration it must amount to a thousand mil- 
lions of francs. 

20th. (To the Emperor Alexander.) Monsieur mon 
Frere: The beautiful and splendid city of Moscow no longer 
exists. Rostopchin has burnt it down. Four hundred 
incendiaries have been caught in the act; all declared 
they were starting fires by order of the Governor and of 
the Chief of Police: they were shot. The fire seems to 
have died out at last; three quarters of the houses have 
gone, a quarter remains. Such conduct is atrocious and 
aimless. Was the object to deprive us of a few resources ? 
Well, those resources were in cellars that the fire did not 
reach. Even then the destruction of one of the most beau- 
tiful cities in the world, the work of centuries, for so 
slight an object, is inconceivable. If I supposed that such 
things were being done under the orders of Your Majesty, 
I should not write this letter; but I hold it impossible 
that any one with the high principles of Your Majesty, 
such heart, such right feelings, could have authorized 
these excesses, unworthy as they are of a great sovereign 
and a great nation. 



356 THE CORSICAN [1812 

I have conducted the war against Your Majesty with 
no animosity. A line written to me before or after the 
last battle would have stopped my march, and I would 
gladly have foregone the advantage of entering Moscow, 
If anything of our old friendship remains, Your Majesty 
will take this letter in good part. In any case I shall de- 
serve thanks for rendering this account of what is hap- 
pening in Moscow. 

Despite the poet's art, all the imaginary details of the 
burning of Troy can never equal the reality of that of 
Moscow. The city was built of wood, the wind was very 
strong, all the fire engines had been removed. It was 
literally an ocean of fire! 

23d. I have just levied a conscription of 140,000 men 
in France, and of 30,000 in Italy. The result of the battle 
of Borodino and our entry into Moscow must not reduce 
our energy. 

October 4th. The enemy's movement towards Kief 
shows clearly that they are expecting reinforcements from 
the army of Moldavia. To march against them would be 
to operate in the line of their reserves, and without any 
supporting positions. Moscow, now that it is burned 
down and deserted by its inhabitants, is of no use to us; 
it cannot even accommodate our sick and wounded. 

If the army is to fall back on Smolensk, is it wise to 
follow up the enemy and to run the risk, while executing 
a movement that would look like a retreat, of losing sev- 
eral thousand men in the face of an army that knows 
the country, that has many spies, and a large force of light 
cavalry ? 



^T.43] A DIARY 357 

If we should decide to fall back so as to take up winter 
quarters in Poland, is it the best course to retire directly 
by the same road by which we came ? 

5th. (To Berthier.) I find it hard to believe that we 
need forty-five days to evacuate the wounded from Mo- 
jaisk; for I calculate that, even if we do nothing, in those 
forty-five days part of them will die, part of them will 
get well ; we should therefore only have to evacuate those 
that remained, and experience shows that three months 
after a battle only one-sixth of the wounded remain. 
Reckoning on 6000, there would therefore be at the end 
of three months only 1000 to move. My purpose is to 
keep control of my line of operations and to evacuate the 
wounded. 

6th. The Russian army of Moldavia, amounting to 
three divisions, crossed the Dnieper early in September. 
General Koutousoff's army, which was beaten at Boro- 
dino, is now near Kaluga, which suggests that it is to be 
reinforced from Moldavia by way of Kief. 

14th. (To Berthier.) Send orders to the Duke of 
Abrantes not to let through any artillery convoys for 
Moscow after to-morrow the 15th, and to turn them all 
back to Smolensk. 

15th. (Decree.) There shall be at our Imperial Con- 
servatory eighteen pupils preparing for the Theatre Fran- 
gais, nine of each sex. They may attend courses in music, 
but they are more especially to study the art of declama- 
tion, and shall diligently follow the courses of the pro- 
fessors, according to the branch they intend to pursue. 

For this purpose there shall be, in addition to the pro- 
fessors, two instructors in the dramatic art, who shall 



358 THE CORSICAN [I812 

teach the students every day at such hours as may be ap- 
pointed. There shall also be a professor of grammar, and 
of history and mythology applied to the dramatic art, 
who shall instruct especially those pupils who are intended 
for the Theatre Frangais. 

18th. (To Berthier.) Inform the King of Naples that 
the whole army is moving. The Duke of Istria with the 
cavalry of the Guard will march four leagues before 
camping; I shall start in person to-night. 

The Guard will^bivouac in square around the Emperor's 
quarters. 

19th. General Sebastian!, placed about one league to 
the left of the King of Naples, was caught napping by a 
horde of Cossacks, at five in the morning of the 18th. He 
lost six guns at his bivouac. The enemy's infantry then 
marched on the rear of the King of Naples, to cut him 
off. The King of Naples, at the head of the carabiniers 
and cuirassiers, broke them and cut them up. 

The army is in motion; to-morrow we shall decide to 
blow up the Kremlin and to march by Kaluga or by 
Viazma, so as to arrive before severe weather sets in, and 
get into winter quarters. All is going well. 

Well, Rapp, we are retiring on Poland; I shall find good 
winter quarters; I hope Alexander will make peace. 

(Rapp : The natives say we shall have a severe winter.) 

Bah! bah! with your natives! Look! See how fine it is! 

2(>th, Troitzkoic : 

(To Berthier.) Order the Duke of Treviso to start the 
invalids of the corps of the Prince of Eckmiihl, of the Vice- 



^T.43] A DIARY 359 

roy, of the dismounted cavalry, and of the Young Guard 
at daybreak to-morrow. At two in the morning he will 
set fire to the Kremlin. When the Kremlin is well alight 
in several places the Duke of Treviso will move by the 
Mojaisk road. At four o'clock the artillery officer de- 
tailed for this service will blow up the Kremlin. On his 
way he will set fire to all abandoned wagons, will have 
as many bodies as possible buried, and will smash all the 
muskets he may find. 

21st, Krasnoie: 

The Duke of Elchingen will command the rearguard. 

23d, Borovsk: 

The natives are amazed at the weather of the last three 
weeks. We are having the sunshine and lovely days of 
the trip to Fontainebleau. The army is in a very rich 
country that is comparable with the finest of France and 
Germany. 

26th. (To Berthier.) Write to the Duke of Abrantes 
to inform him that the Russian army had marched on 
Malo-Yaroslavetz; that its advance guard reached it on 
one bank at the same moment as ours did on the other; 
that the city lay on the enemy's side and on a consider- 
able height, so that an engagement followed which lasted 
the whole of the 24th; that while our advance guard was 
engaged the whole Russian army came up; that on our 
side the Prince of Eckmuhl's troops reinforced those of 
the Viceroy; that we remained in possession of the bat- 
tlefield. Write further that on the 25th the army was 
deployed; the Russian army faced us about one league 
behind Malo-Yaroslavetz, but the necessity of moving 
the wounded who are with the army made the Emperor 
decide to march towards Mojaisk. 



360 THE CORSICAN [1812 

30th, Ghjatsk: 

The general headquarters train will move forward as 
far as it can go. The division of the Old Guard will 
remain here all day to rally its stragglers. 

November 1st, Viazma: 

The 8th corps will reach Dorogobouje to-morrow, where 
it will find headquarters. We shall be in great need of 
provisions at Dorogobouje. 

3d, Sembvo: 

The weather continues very fine, which is most for- 
tunate. 

(To Maret.) You must buy all the horses you can get, 
and above all buy them at once. 

5th, Dorogobouje: 

Order for the 5th corps to march to-morrow behind 
the Viceroy, and to press on for Smolensk. 

6th. (To Berthier.) Write to the Prince of Eckmuhl 
that if, as I fear, at nine o'clock this morning his corps 
has no supplies, he must move ten or twelve leagues from 
Smolensk on the Yelvia road. The country is said to be 
good and full of provisions. This move will be all the 
more useful as there is no forage at Smolensk. 

7th, Mikhailovka: 

(To Berthier.) Write the following letter to the Duke 
of Bolluno, not ciphered: 

I have shown the Emperor your letter of the 2d. His 
Majesty's orders are that you should concentrate your 
six divisions, attack the enemy at once, drive them be- 
yond the Dwina and reoccupy Polotsk. 

Ciphered : 

This movement is of urgent importance. In a few days 



iET.43] A DIARY 361 

your line of communication may be flooded with Cossacks : 
the army and the Emperor will reach Smolensk to-morrow, 
but worn out by a continuous march of 120 leagues. 
Take the offensive; the safety of the army depends on it; 
every day lost is a disaster. The cavalry is dismounted, 
the cold has killed our horses. March, that is the order 
of the Emperor, and of necessity. 

9th, Smolensk 

We must employ to-morrow in getting the troops to- 
gether, so that on the following day the corps can be 
formed up to start on their march. 

11th. Order for the corps of General Baraguey d'Hil- 
liers to be disbanded. 

14th. I am having the fortifications of Smolensk blown 
up, and shall then start for Orcha. 

(To Berthier.) Write to the Duke of Elchingen that 
it is necessary for him to continue in command of the 
rearguard. 

18th, Doubrovna: 

I shall reach Orcha to-morrow. 

(To Maret.) Since my last letter to you our situation 
has become worse. Ice and frost of near zero (Fahr.) 
have killed off nearly all our horses, say 30,000, We have 
been compelled to burn nearly 300 pieces of artillery, and 
an immense quantity of transport wagons. The cold has 
greatly increased the number of stragglers. The Cossacks 
have turned to account our absolute want of cavalry 
and of artillery to harass us and cut our communications, 
so that I am most anxious about Marshal Ney, who stayed 
behind with 3000 men to blow up Smolensk. 

19th. My intention is to move on Minsk, and, after 



362 THE CORSICAN [1812 

getting possession of that point, to make for the Bere- 
zina. , 

20th, Orcha : 

We have found here about 60 guns that are quite use- 
less to us. My health is excellent. I have no news from 
Marshal Ney; I have given him up. 

I have two hundred millions in my cellars; I would 
give all of it for Ney ! 

Baran : 

My anxiety about Ney has passed; he has just joined 
us. 

21st. We have no maps. 

23d, Bobr: 

(To Berthier.) Send an aide-de-camp to the Duke of 
Reggio to tell him that I am impatient to hear from him 
in the course of to-night that he controls a passage over 
the Berezina and that he is throwing bridges. 

24th. (To Berthier.) Order General Zaj'onchek to 
transfer 200 horses, and more if he can, to General Sor- 
bier. If this draft is not made, when I pass to-morrow 
I shall order every carriage and transport wagon of his 
corps to be burnt. 

General Dombrowski, who held the bridge of Borisof, 
allowed his position to be forced on the 21st. The Duke 
of Reggio arrived on the 23d, recaptured the city, and 
defeated the two Russian divisions that were there. But 
the bridge is burnt; we hope to build another to-day. The 
weather is cold. I am anxious to get news from \'ilna and 
from Paris. 



iET.43] A DIARY 363 

25th, Lochnitsa: 

The Duke of Belluno will reach Kostritsa about noon, 
and will be ready to cross the river to-night. 

General Eble has arrived with a number of engineers. 

27th, Studienka: 

I have just crossed the Berezina; but the river is full of 
floating ice and our bridges are therefore very insecure. 
The army that had been facing Schwarzenberg tried to 
prevent our passage, and is to-night concentrated on the 
right bank opposite Borisof. The cold is very severe; the 
army is excessively fatigued. 

29th, Zanivki: 

(To Maret.) I have received your letter of the 25th 
in which there is not a word of French news, nor of Span- 
ish. This makes two weeks during which I have heard 
nothing and am in the dark about everything. 

Yesterday we were sharply engaged with Admiral 
Tchichagof and Wittgenstein. We defeated the first- 
named, who attacked us on the right bank on the Borisof 
road. The latter, who attempted to carry our bridges 
over the Berezina, was contained. The Duke of Reggio 
was wounded, and many other generals. 

The army is numerous but in a frightful state of dis- 
bandment. We need two weeks to reform the men into 
regiments, and where can we get two weeks ? Cold and 
privation have broken up the army. We shall soon reach 
Vilna; can we stay there ? Yes, if we can hold on for eight 
days; but if we are attacked during the first eight days, 
it is doubtful whether we can stay there. Food! food! 
food ! Otherwise there are no horrors which this un- 
disciplined mob is not capable of wreaking on the city. 



364 THE CORSICAN [I812 

Possibly the army cannot be rallied short of the Nie- 
men. 

In this state of things I may decide that my presence 
in Paris is necessary for the safety of France, of the Em- 
pire, of the army itself. Give me your opinion. I am 
anxious that there should be no agents of foreign powers 
at Vilna. The army is not good to look at now. As to 
those who are in the city, they must be got out of the way; 
you might say to them that you are going to Warsaw, 
and that I am too, and convey them there, starting at a 
fixed hour. 

30th, Plechtchennisky : 

If 100,000 rations of bread are not awaiting us at Vilna, 
I am sorry for the city. An abundance of supplies is the 
only thing that can bring back discipline. The Governor 
can meet me to let me know the position of things. The 
army is horribly worn out. This is the 45th day's march. 

December 2d, Selitche: 

M. de Montesquiou will start immediately for Paris, 
and will hand the inclosed letter to the Empress. He will 
announce everywhere the arrival of 10,000 Russian pris- 
oners and the victory at the Berezina, where we captured 
6000 Russian prisoners, 8 flags, and 12 guns. 

3d, Molodetchna: 

(Bulletin.) Until the 6th of November the weather was 
perfect and the movement of the army was carried out with 
complete success. On the 7th the cold set in; from that 
moment we lost several hundred horses at each night's 
bivouac. On reaching Smolensk we had already lost an 
immense quantity of cavalry and artillery horses. The 
cold became more intense, and between the 14th and 16th 



MTA3] A DIARY 365 

the thermometer fell to zero (Fahr.) The roads were 
covered with ice, the horses were dying every night, not 
in hundreds but in thousands, especially the French and 
German horses. More than 30,000 horses died in a few 
days; our cavalry was dismounted, our artillery and 
transport had no teams. Without cavalry we could not 
risk a battle; we were compelled to march so as not to be 
forced into a battle, which we wished to avoid because of 
our shortness of ammunition. 

The enemy, marching in the footsteps of the frightful 
calamity that had overtaken the French army, tried to 
profit by it. All our columns were surrounded by Cos- 
sacks who, like the Arabs in the desert, picked up every 
cart or wagon that lagged behind. This contemptible 
cavalry, which only knows how to shout and couldn't 
ride down so much as a company of light infantry, be- 
came formidable from the force of circumstances ! 

But the enemy held the passage of the Berezina, a river 
80 yards wide; the water was full of floating ice, and the 
banks are marshy for a distance of 600 yards, which made 
it a difficult obstacle to overcome. The enemy had placed 
four divisions at four points where they supposed the 
French army would attempt to pass. After having de- 
ceived the enemy by various manoeuvres on the 25th, the 
Emperor marched on the village of Studienka at break of 
day on the 26th, and, in the face of a division of the enemy, 
had two bridges thrown across the river. The army was 
crossing all through the 26th and the 27th. 

It may be concluded from what has been said that the 
army needs to reestablish its discipline, to be reequipped, 
to remount its cavalry, its artillery, and its transport. 



366 THE CORSICAN [1812 

During all these events the Emperor constantly marched 
in the midst of the Guard, the cavalry commanded by the 
Duke of Istria, the infantry by the Duke of Dantzig. Our 
cavalry was so reduced that it became necessary to form 
all the officers who were still mounted into four companies 
of 150 men each. Generals acted as captains, and colonels 
as corporals. This Sacred Squadron, commanded by 
General Grouchy, and under the orders of the King of 
Naples, kept the closest watch over the Emperor. 

His Majesty's health has never been better. 

4th. There seems to be nothing of much importance 
about Spain in the Moniteur. The defence of the cita- 
del of Burgos is a fine feat of arms. Lord Wellington has 
drawn back to operate against the army of Andalusia. 
If we lose a battle there, affairs in that country would 
become critical. 

(To Maret.) If you cannot make the necessary com- 
missariat arrangements at Vilna, we must prepare to evac- 
uate everything, and first and foremost the military chest. 
We have three or four millions here. I am informed that 
there is twice as much at Vilna; have all removed to 
Dantzig. 

5th, Binitsa: 

(To the Prince of Neuchiitel.) The inclosed decree is 
to be published in orders two or three days after my de- 
parture. Circulate the report that I am proceeding to 
Warsaw with the 7th and the Austrian corps. Five or 
six days later, as circumstances may dictate, the King 
of Naples can issue an order informing the army that I 
have had to proceed to Paris and have left him in com- 
mand. 



^T. 43] A DIARY 367 

Smorgoni : 

\ (To Prince Eugene.) I have received your letter. Do 
your duty and trust me. I am always the same, and know 
best what is good for you. Never doubt my paternal 
affection. 

14th, Dresden: 

(To Francis I, Emperor of Austria.) I am stopping for 
a moment at Dresden to write to Your Majesty and to 
give you my news. In spite of severe hardships my health 
has never been better. I started on the 4th from Lithu- 
ania, after the battle of the Berezina, leaving the Grand 
Army under the command of the King of Naples, the 
Prince of Neuchatel still acting as chief of staff. In four 
days I shall be in Paris; I shall stay there through the 
winter to attend to my most pressing affairs. 

I have every confidence in the sentiments of Your 
Majesty. Our alliance is a permanent arrangement so 
advantageous to our countries that I feel certain Your 
Majesty will carry out all the engagements entered into 
at Dresden to assure the triumph of the common cause 
and to lead us promptly to a suitable peace. 

18th, Paris: 

(To the Prince of Neuchatel.) I note with regret that 
you did not stop seven or eight days at Vilna, so as to take 
advantage of the clothing stores and rally the army a 
little. 

19th. I am working incessantly at reorganising all my 
resources. I have already got an army of 40,000 men in 
the neighbourhood of Berlin and the Oder. 

26th. (To General Clarke.) We must assume that the 
whole of the artillery belonging to the cavalry and to the 



368 THE CORSICAN [1812 

1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 6th corps is lost. If necessary I will 
set the naval arsenals at work on artillery material ; that 
would be better than requisitions. One or two ships more 
or less are of no weight one way or the other, but the 
slightest deficiency of artillery might be a very serious 
matter. 

29th. (To Pope Pius VII.) Holy Father: I hasten to 
send one of the officers of my household to express all 
my gratification at what the bishop of Nantes has told 
me of the satisfactory condition of Your Holiness' health; 
for I had been for a moment alarmed this summer on 
hearing that Your Holiness had been seriously indisposed. 
The new residence of Your Holiness will give us an op- 
portunity for meeting, and I have it much at heart to 
declare that, notwithstanding all that has passed, I have 
always maintained the same sentiments of friendship 
for Your Holiness. Perhaps we can now reach a settle- 
ment of all those questions that divide State and Church. 
I, on my side, am altogether disposed that way, so that 
it will depend entirely on Your Holiness. 

30th. (To Berthier.) I have received your dispatch 
of the 21st, also your memorandum: actual losses; I shall 
consider it most anxiously. This year's conscription is 
splendid : I had about 25,000 or 30,000 men on parade 
Sunday. 



1813 

January 3d, Paris : 

(To General Clarke.) As the King of Spain asks to 
have the Duke of Dalmatia recalled to Paris, and as 
that marshal demands the same thing, send him leave 
of absence by special courier. 

Tell the King, writing in cipher, that in the present state 
of things he should place his headquarters at Valladolid. 

7th. (To Francis I.) Every time I met the Russian 
army I defeated it. My Guard was not once engaged, 
never fired a shot, nor did it lose a man in the presence of 
the enemy. It is true that between the 7th and the 16th 
of November 30,000 of my cavalry and artillery horses 
died; I abandoned several thousand wagons for lack of 
horses. In that frightful storm of frost, our men could not 
stand bivouacking; many wandered off to seek houses 
for shelter; there was no cavalry left to protect them. 
Cossacks picked up several thousands. 

As for France, I could not be more satisfied with 
her: men, horses, money, everything is offered me. My 
finances are in good order. I shall therefore make no 
advances looking to peace. 

Your Majesty can now judge my situation and my 
views as well as I can. I assume that this letter and its 
contents will remain a matter between Your Majesty and 
myself; but, knowing my views, Your Majesty may take 
any step that appears desirable with a view to peace. 

9th. (To Berthier.) On hearing of the treachery of 



370 THE CORSICAN [isis 

General York I immediately decided to issue an address 
to the nation, which will be out to-morrow, and to raise 
an extraordinary levy. I have formed a corps of obser- 
vation of the Elbe which is concentrating at Hamburg, 
and will have a strength of 60 battalions ; I have given the 
command to General Lauriston. I have formed a corps 
of observation in Italy, which is concentrating at Verona, 
and that will have a strength of 40 battalions; I have 
given the command to General Bertrand. I have formed 
a first corps of observation of the army of the Rhine, of 
60 battalions, commanded by the Duke of Ragusa, whose 
headquarters will be at Mainz. I shall form a 2d corps of 
observation of the Rhine, v/hich will also have 60 bat- 
talions. I am calling to the colours 100,000 conscripts left 
over from 1810, so that we shall have men of over 21 years 
of age. The conscription of 1814 will give us 150,000 men, 
and will be levied some time in February. 

18th. The Emperor of Russia has just appointed Baron 
von Stein Minister of State; he admits him to his inmost 
councils, together with all the men who want to revolu- 
tionize Germany. 

22d. (To Prince Eugene.) My son: Assume the com- 
mand of the Grand Army. I regret I did not give it you 
when I left. I am persuaded that your retirement would 
have been less rapid, and that I should not have suffered 
such heavy losses. Past evils are without remedy. 

23d. (To Vice-Admiral Count Decres.) I cannot bring 
myself to a reduction of my naval armaments; I am 
not so situated as to woi<fh 12 or 15 millions against 
the moral effect that such a retrenchment would produce 
on my navy and on our enemies. 



2ET.43] A DIARY 371 

24th. (To Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples.) The King 
left the army on the 16th. Your husband is very brave 
on the battlefield, but weaker than a woman or a monk 
when out of sight of the enemy. He has no moral courage. 
He has been frightened; he has never for one moment 
been in danger of losing what he can only hold from me 
and with me. Show him the absurdity of his conduct. I 
can still forgive him the harm he has done me. 

29th. I have a superb corps of 20,000 marines on 
the march, in which not one soldier has less than a year's 
service. 

In the coming campaign I shall sweep the enemy back 
beyond the Niemen. 

February 8th. (To Marshal Kellermann.) I approve 
the steps you have taken for putting down the insurrec- 
tion in the Grand Duchy of Berg. 

10th. (To Maret, Duke of Bassano.) Write to M. de 
Saint Marsan that the levying of troops now proceeding 
in Prussia gives us just cause for uneasiness, and that I 
desire that all should remain quiet. 

(To Prince Eugene.) Make the Prussians stop re- 
cruiting. 

14th. Gentlemen, deputies of the departments to the 
Legislative Body : The war rekindled in northern Europe 
proved a favourable opportunity for the English to act 
in the Peninsula. They have made great efforts; but all 
their hopes have been deceived. I penetrated into Russia. 
The French arms were constantly victorious, in the battles 
of Ostrovno, of Polotsk, of Mohilef, of Smolensk, of the 

^ For the date of this and several other letters, see Johnston, Na- 
poleonic Empire, vol. ii, p. 146. 



372 THE CORSICAN [1813 

Moskova, of Malo-Yaroslavetz. The Russian armies were 
not once able to hold their ground against our eagles: 
Moscow fell into our hands. After the frontiers of Russia 
had been pierced and the weakness of her armies had been 
proved, hordes of Tartars turned their parricide hands 
against the most fertile provinces of the vast Empire to 
the defence of which they were summoned. In the space 
of a few weeks, notwithstanding the tears and the despair 
of the unfortunate Muscovites, they burned down more 
than 4000 of their most prosperous villages, more than 
fifty of their finest cities, thus satisfying an old standing 
hatred on the plea of retarding our march and of surround- 
ing us with a desert. We triumphed over these obstacles; 
even the fire of Moscow, which in four days ingulfed the 
fruit of the labour and accumulations of forty generations, 
did not affect the security of our position. But the ex- 
cessive and premature severity of winter bore down our 
army in a frightful calamity. In the space of a few nights 
all was changed, I suffered great losses; my spirit would 
have been broken, if, in such circumstances, I could have 
allowed myself to think of anything but the interests, the 
glory, and the future of my people. 

The misfortunes brought on us by the severity of win- 
ter have served to reveal to their fullest extent the grand- 
eur and solidity of this Empire. It is with the most lively 
sense of satisfaction that we have seen our subjects of 
the kingdom of Italy, of what was formerly Holland, of 
the new departments, rivalling the French in showing 
that their hope, their future, and their interest Ho in the 
consolidation and triumph of the Great Empire. 

I need great resources to face all the demands imposed 



^T.43] A DIARY 373 

on me by the present circumstances; but by means of the 
measures that will be laid before you by my Minister of 
Finance, I shall not have to impose any fresh burdens on 
my people. 

21st. The Duke of Valmy writes that there are no scab- 
bards at Mainz, and no frying-pans, no water-bottles, 
no boots, and no shirts; and that the few boots left in store 
at Wesel are very poor. 

23d. I propose having my equipment on a smaller 
footing than in the last campaign. I want a much reduced 
stafif, fewer cooks, less crockery, a smaller outfit, and all 
this not only to simplify matters but also by way of ex- 
ample. In the field each mess, even my own table, shall 
be served with one soup, one boiled dish, one roast and 
vegetables; no dessert. In the large cities each mess can 
do as it pleases. 

26th. Patrols of Cossacks have appeared near Berlin; 
I am anxious as to what to-morrow's courier may bring; 
I suppose the Viceroy and Marshal Saint Cyr will have 
driven them off. 

March 2d. The Duke of Treviso will reach Mainz on 
the 12th, and Gotha on the 14th, where he will find the 
Imperial Guard. The Prince of the Moskowa will reach 
Frankfort on the 10th of March with the 1st corps of 60 
battalions. The Bavarians are concentrating at Bamberg, 
Bayreuth, and Kronach; the Wiirtembergers, Hessians, 
and Badeners at Wiirzburg. The Viceroy is at Berlin. 

(To Prince Eugene.) The corps of observation are on 
the move, 300,000 strong; the scene will soon change. 

5th. (To Prince Eugene.) Hold Berlin as long as you 
can. Make examples to preserve order. At the least in- 



374 THE CORSICAN [I813 

suit from a Prussian village or city, have it burned down; 
— even Berlin, if it does not behave well. The cavalry is 
being rapidly trained in France, but we need the whole 
of April yet. 

9th. (To Prince Eugene.) I can't see why you gave 
up Berlin. Your movements are so hasty that you have 
not been able to take up the line of march assigned to 
you. You might have gained us three weeks, which would 
have been of the greatest advantage in both the political 
and the military sense. 

10th. This is a most alarming state of things ! What are 
150,000 muskets? Almost nothing; we need 300,000 to 
arm the levy of 1815, and to have a reserve of 150,000 in 
store. 

11th. (To Prince Eugene.) It is time we began to 
make war. Our military operations are ridiculed by our 
allies at Vienna and by our enemies in London and St. 
Petersburg, because our army consistently retreats a week 
before the approach of the enemy's infantry, at the sight 
of their light-horse, or even on mere rumours. 

17th. (To Prince Eugene.) My Son: I inclose you 
a Hamburg bulletin of the 12th from which you will see 
that 200 Cossacks are going to take possession of the whole 
of the 32d military district. A number of gunboats have 
been sunk; it means a loss of many millions; it will mean 
insurrection in all that lies at the back of the Elbe. It all 
comes from the fact that from the left bank of the river 
you have no longer any hold on the enemy. 

20th. I have news from Rroslau the 12th. The Prus- 
sians were arming but still kept up appearances, and my 
Minister was being treated with all due regard. 



^T.43] A DIARY 375 

23d. (To Prince Eugene.) I see in the Prince of Eck- 
muhl's reports that General Regnier's corps numbers only 
2000 men; I had always supposed it totalled 12,000. I 
also see that Dombrowski's corps is reduced to 300 men; 
I had always supposed, from your reports, that it num- 
bered 3000. 

28th. (To Marshal Ney.) The Prince of Eckmuhl 
has blown up the bridge at Dresden which has had the 
double effect of angering the inhabitants and of drawing 
the enemy in that direction. The Viceroy has concen- 
trated on Wittenberg, Magdeburg, and the lower Elbe. 
Prussia has raised the standard and declared war. 

April 8th, Saint Cloud: 

(To General Clarke.) Continue the inquiry into Gen- 
eral Loison's conduct. The time has come for making 
examples; the generals show the greatest insubordination; 
this affects the glory of my arms and the lives of my sol- 
diers. See that the small newspapers state that General 
Loison, who left the army without leave, is under ar- 
rest, and that General Lacroix, who abandoned his post, 
has been arrested and will be tried by strict martial law. 

11th. (To Prince Eugene.) I shall probably reach Er- 
furt at the head of 200,000 men between the 20th and 
22d. I cannot judge what your movements should be. 
Manoeuvre on that assumption, and see that our com- 
munications remain open. 

12th. I intend to refuse my right and to let the enemy 
reach Bayreuth, making the converse movement to that 
of Jena, so that if the enemy should reach Bayreuth I 
would be at Dresden before them and cut them off from 
Prussia. 



376 THE CORSICAN [isis 

13th. If to-morrow's news confirms the fact that the 
enemy are executing an important movement, I shall 
start instantly. 

17th, Mainz: 

I travelled to Mainz in 40 hours, in good health and 
without accidents. I shall stay several days in Mainz to 
look after matters that require my attention. 

20th. (To Frederick Augustus, King of Saxony.) Your 
Majesty's letter pains me. Your Majesty's friendship 
for me is gone; for which I hold the enemies of our cause 
in your cabinet responsible. I need all the cavalry and all 
the oflBcers. I have stated my views with the frankness 
Your Majesty knows, to your aide-de-camp. \Miatever 
the event, Your Majesty may rest assured of my esteem. 

24th. If I had another 15,000 cavalry I could settle 
matters very quickly. 

26th, Erfurt: 

The Guard is in column between Erfurt and Weimar. 
For the moment the great thing is to efifect my junction 
with the Viceroy. To-night I shall move headquarters to 
Auerstadt. 

(To Prince Cambaceres.) I think the Minister of Po- 
lice should send his reports to you, and that you should 
show the Empress only such matters as she may well 
know: it is useless to place before her things that would 
only alarm her, and put wrong ideas in her head. The 
same holds good with the- other ministers: they should 
not speak to the Empress of things that would give her 
anxiety or pain. 

27th. I hope the Viceroy will be at Querfurt to-day, 
and our junction effected. 



iET.43] A DIARY 377 

(To General Clarke.) I have just inspected the 37th 
light infantry; I can't wish to see a finer body of soldiers, 
but I don't expect to see a worse one of officers. If your 
office had laid itself out to appoint the most incapable 
officers of France, it couldn't have succeeded better; the 
soldiers laugh at them. They are drawn from colonial, 
from Dutch battalions, or from the national guards of 
the Pyrenees or of the Scheldt; most of the captains have 
never been under fire. I shall have to dismiss these offi- 
cers or reduce them in rank. 

28th. I shall be at Weimar at noon. I shall stop only 
a quarter of an hour to see the Duchess. I shall then get 
into the saddle and place myself at the head of the Guard. 

29th, Naumburg: 

(To Prince Eugene.) Shift towards Merseburg with 
your whole army. The Prince of the Moskowa will prob- 
ably push out an advance guard to-morrow as far as 
Liitzen. 

May 1st, Weissenfels: 

(To Marshal Marmont.) This morning. May the 1st, 
the Viceroy, with 60,000 men, is halfway between 
Merseburg and Leipzig. Get your divisions as near Weis- 
senfels as you can so that you could support Marshal Ney 
if that should become necessary. 

(To Prince Eugene.) It is eight o'clock. At nine we 
shall move on Liitzen. I assume that at ten you will 
have your whole army with its left at Moeritzch, and its 
right at Schladebach. If you hear firing in the direction 
of Lutzen, move on the enemy's right. 

Liitzen : 

(To Cambaceres.) To-day I have moved my headquar- 



378 THE CORSICAN [1813 

ters to Liitzen. The enemy tried to prevent our debouching 
on the plains of Liitzen, and had assembled a large force 
of cavalry there. Our infantry, supported by many bat- 
teries, drove it back some four leagues. The enemy, who 
had few guns, did us little damage. 

The first cannon-shot of the day inflicted a hea^y loss 
on us. The Duke of Istria was struck in the body by a 
cannon-shot, and fell stone dead. I write this in haste so 
that you may inform the Empress and also his wife, to 
prevent the news reaching her through the newspapers. 
Make it quite clear to the Empress that the Duke of 
Istria was nowhere near me when he was struck. 

2d, Battle of Liitzen. 

(To Marshal Marmont.) Headquarters are at Liitzen, 
and the Guard also. The Viceroy is at Markrannstadt ; 
General Lauriston is marching on Leipzig, which he will 
probably reach in a couple of hours. All our information 
points to the enemy retiring towards Levenkau. 

At 9 A. M., the sound of firing being heard in the direc- 
tion of Leipzig, the Emperor started at a gallop. The 
enemy were defending the bridges in front of Leipzig. 
But at 10, the enemy debouched in the direction of Kaja 
in several dense, black columns; they covered the hori- 
zon. The enemy were showing very large numbers; the 
Emperor promptly prepared to meet them. The Viceroy 
received orders to come into line on the left of the Prince 
of the Moskowa; but he needed three hours to carry out 
his movement. The Princ-c of the INToskowa formed his 
five divisions in line, and sustained the shock; in half an 
hour the struggle became terrific. His Majesty moved 



iET.43] A DIARY 379 

in person with the Guard behind the army to support the 
Prince of the Moskowa's right. The village of Kaja was 
several times taken and lost. The battle stretched over 
a line of two leagues covered with smoke, and fire, and 
clouds of dust. The Prince of the Moskowa, General 
Souham, General Girard, were everywhere, meeting every 
emergency. 

We could now see in the distance the first flashes and 
the dust of the advance of General Bertrand's corps. At 
the same moment the Viceroy was coming into line on our 
left, and the Duke of Taranto was attacking the village 
on which the enemy's right rested. The enemy now re- 
doubled their efforts on our centre; once more they 
carried the village of Kaja; our centre was beginning to 
give way. 

It 's nothing, my lads, keep steady ! 

A few battalions were disbanded, but our brave boys 
rallied at the sight of the Emperor, shouting: Vive I'Em- 
pereur ! 

There was not a moment to lose. The Emperor ordered 
the Duke of Treviso to march on the village of Kaja with 
16 battalions of the Young Guard, to charge straight in, 
to recapture the village, and to clear out all its defenders. 
At the same moment His Majesty ordered his aide-de- 
camp. General Drouot, to concentrate a battery of 80 
guns on the front of the Old Guard, which was formed 
in echelons like four redoubts, to support our centre, with 
all the cavalry massed behind. The fire became tremen- 
dous. The enemy gave way on all sides. The Duke of 



380 THE CORSICAN [isis 

Treviso carried Kaja, broke the enemy, and continued 
his advance, his drums beating the charge. Cavalry, in- 
fantry, artillery, all the enemy began to retreat. 

His Majesty cannot praise too highly the spirit and 
courage of the army. 

3d. (From our Imperial Camp at Liitzen.) Well done, 
soldiers! You have achieved all that I expected of you! 
Your high spirit and your courage have stood in the stead 
of all we lacked. You have shed new lustre on the glory of 
my eagles; you have shown all that the French race can 
do. The battle of Liitzen will rank higher than the bat- 
tles of Austerlitz, of Jena, of Friedland, and of the Mos- 
kowa! 

We will hurl these Tartars back into that frightful 
clime whence they must never more depart. Let them 
remain in their frozen steppes, the abode of slavery, of 
barbarism, and of corruption, where man is reduced to the 
level of the brute! You have deserved well of civilized 
Europe. Soldiers! Italy, France, and Germany tender 
you their thanks ! 

4th. The Prussian and Russian armies are in flight in 
the direction of Rochlitz. I am moving the army on 
Dresden. 

Nothing could equal the courage, the good-will, the 
devotion that all these young soldiers show me; they are 
full of enthusiasm. 

6th, Colditz: 

The Viceroy defeated the corps of Miloradovitch 
yesterday at Gersdorf, but we have got very few pris- 
oners. 



^T.43] A DIARY * 381 

7th, Waldheim: 

We shall probably reach Dresden to-morrow; the Prince 
of the Moskowa will cross the Elbe and march on Berlin. 

Nossen : 

The peasants declare that firing was heard in the di- 
rection of Meissen this morning at ten o'clock. 

The enemy have burnt all the bridges, and done all 
they could to delay my advance. 

8th, Dresden: 

Order for sending out pickets on all the roads lead- 
ing into Bohemia to get information. 

9th. We are hard at work on a bridge so as to get 
over to the right bank. 

10th. The Duke of Ragusa will pass through the city 
to-morrow at noon, his troops in parade uniforms, taking 
his guns, and marching in the strictest order. He will 
send his baggage with everything that doesn't look well 
around by the floating bridge. 

To-morrow noon the whole army will be on the right 
bank. 

12th. (To Prince Eugene.) My Son: You must start 
to-night for Italy. I am ordering the Minister of War to 
place under your command the troops that are in the 
Kingdom of Italy and the Illyrian provinces. 

13th. (To Ney.) I am beginning to get some cav- 
alry. 

My three principal aims, to be accomplished before 
the end of the month, are to unblock Glogau, to occupy 
Berlin, thereby enabling the Prince of Eckmiihl to re- 
occupy Hamburg, and to seize Breslau. 



382 THE CORSICAN [isis 

The King of Saxony made a triumphant entry into 
Dresden yesterday; he is dining with me to-day. 

14th. I have precise information as to Bliicher's move- 
ments; he is marching on Bautzen by the Breslau road. 
The Russians and Prussians are said to be together. Their 
rearguard shows 30,000 men with many guns, and is 
covering the httle city of Bautzen. 

15th. The Prince of the Moskowa and General Lauris- 
ton started two days ago from Torgau to turn Bautzen. 

17th. Information from every quarter shows conclu- 
sively that the enemy is resolved to fight. 

(To Francis I, Emperor of Austria.) I am deeply 
touched by the sentiments of personal interest in me ex- 
pressed by Your Majesty, which I reciprocate and (there- 
fore) deserve. If Your Majesty is interested in my happi- 
ness, let Your Majesty promote it. If it be necessary I am 
resolved to die at the head of all generous Frenchmen 
rather than become the laughing-stock of the English, 
and help my enemies triumph. Your Majesty should 
consider the future and not destroy the results of three 
years' friendship, nor sacrifice the happiness of the present 
generation to petty considerations, — why should I not 
say the happiness of a most sincerely attached part of 
Your Majesty's own family. I hope Your Majesty will 
never doubt my entire devotion. 

(Instructions for General Caulaincourt.) Let me 
know, from headquarters, what is said. By finding 
out the views of the Emperor Alexander we will end by 
coming to an arrangement. In any case, my intention 
is to build him a golden bridge to escape from the in- 
trigues of Metternich. If I am to make sacrifices I prefer 



^T.43] A DIARY 383 

they should be for the benefit of the Emperor Alexander, 
who is meeting me in fair fight, and of the King of 
Prussia, who has the support of Russia, than that they 
should profit Austria, that has played false, and that 
under the guise of mediation wants to arrogate to her- 
self the right of disposing of everything after first taking 
what suits her. 

You must try and establish a direct negotiation on this 
basis. 

18th. I am leaving Dresden with all the Guard to at- 
tack the enemy, who have concentrated all their forces, 
and who have been reinforced on the Breslau road by 
Barclay de Tolly's corps. They have left nothing to cover 
Berlin. 

24th, Goerlitz: 

(Bulletin.) The Emperor left Dresden on the 18th, and 
arrived in front of Bautzen on the 19th at 10 a. m. He 
spent the day reconnoitring the enemy's position. 

On the 20th at 8, the Emperor took up his station on the 
height behind Bautzen. At noon the artillery opened fire. 

General Bonet occupied the village of Nieder Kayna, 
and by a charge carried a plateau that gave him control 
of the centre of the enemy's position; the Duke of Reggio 
carried the hills, and at seven o'clock in the evening the 
enemy had been driven back to their second position. 
At eight o'clock in the evening the Emperor entered 
Bautzen, and was received by the inhabitants and by the 
authorities with such sentiments as might be expected 
from allies happy at being delivered from Stein, from 
Kotzebue, and from the Cossacks. This engagement, 
which, were it not for its sequel, might well be called the 



384 THE CORSICAN [isis 

battle of Bautzen, was only the prelude to the battle of 
Wurschen. 

At five o'clock in the morning of the 21st the Emperor 
took up his station on a hill three quarters of a league 
beyond Bautzen. At eleven o'clock the Duke of Ragusa 
advanced some 2000 yards and opened a terrific cannon- 
ade. The Guard and the reserves, infantry and cavalry, 
were masked and had convenient debouches for advanc- 
ing to the right or to the left as events might develop. 
The enemy was by this means kept in doubt as to the 
real point of attack. 

In the meanwhile the Prince of the Moskowa had 
driven the enemy from the village of Klix, and pushed 
everything in his front steadily back to Preilitz. At ten 
o'clock he carried that village; but, on the enemy's re- 
serves being thrown in, the Prince of the Moskowa was 
driven back. 

The Duke of Dalmatia got into action at one in the 
afternoon. The enemy, who had discovered all the danger 
with which they were threatened by the turn the battle 
had taken, attempted to check the Duke of Dalmatia's 
attack. The crisis of the battle was clearly at hand. By 
facing left the Emperor, in the space of twenty minutes, 
with the Guard, the four divisions of Latour Maubourg 
and a great number of guns, reached the flank of the 
enemy, which was the centre of the Russian army. 

The enemy were obliged to weaken their right to repel 
this new attack. The Prince of the Moskowa seized this 
instant to resume his forward movoniont. Turning the 
allied army, he pressed on towards Wurschen. It was now 
three in the afternoon, and with the army still (luito un- 



^T.43] A DIARY 385 

certain as to whether it had been successful, and while a 
terrific fire raged along a line of three leagues, the Em- 
peror announced that the battle was won. 

The enemy, seeing that their right was turned, beat a 
retreat, and soon that retreat turned to flight. At seven 
in the evening the Prince of the Moskowa and General 
Lauriston reached Wurschen. The Emperor slept by the 
roadside, surrounded by his Guard. 

At seven o'clock the Grand Marshal, Duke of Friuli, 
was standing on a hillside in conversation. with the Duke 
of Treviso and General Kirgener; they were all three on 
foot and at some distance from the firing line. One of the 
last cannon-shots fired by the enemy grazed the Duke of 
Treviso, tore open the lower part of the body of the Grand 
Marshal, and killed General Kirgener outright. The Duke 
of Friuli realized at once that his wound was mortal; he 
died twelve hours later. 

As soon as our outposts were placed, and the army had 
bivouacked, the Emperor went to see the Duke of Friuli. 
He found him fully conscious and calm. The Duke 
grasped the Emperor's hand and kissed it. The Emperor, 
putting his right arm around the Grand Marshal, re- 
mained a quarter of an hour with his head resting on his 
left hand and in complete silence. The Grand Marshal 
was the first to break it: — Ah, sire, leave me; such a 
sight as this must pain you! — The Emperor, leaning on 
the Duke of Dalmatia and on the Grand Equerry, left 
the Duke of Friuli, unable to say more than these words : 
— Good-bye, my friend ! — His Majesty returned to his 
tent, and admitted no one that night. 

25th. (To Maret.) As the Swedes have reached Ham- 



386 THE CORSICAN [isis 

burg, it is proper that you should immediately draw up 
a declaration of war against Sweden for my approval. 

The Duke of Reggio will reach Hoyerswerda to-night, 
on the march to Berlin, 

June 1st, Neumarkt: 

(To Caulaincourt.) I have no dispatch from you later 
than the one sent at 3 a. m. As I am getting into the 
saddle to advance along the Einsdorf road, I hope to hear 
from you there. I want to be informed the instant that 
the orders go out, on both sides, for suspending hostilities. 
You must see how important it is for me to get this in- 
formation, as if there should not be a suspension of hos- 
tilities, military dispositions must be made for to-morrow. 
I still urge you to try for a direct negotiation, I want 
peace, a solid peace, but on honourable terms. 

Bubna has reached Liegnitz; he has conferred with the 
Duke of Bassano. The House of Austria appears some- 
what exacting; we must be ready to face her in the field. 

2d, (To General Clarke.) This armistice arrests the 
tide of my victories, I decided to accept it for two rea- 
sons : my lack of cavalry, which prevents my dealing heavy 
blows, and the hostile attitude of Austria. That Court, 
in the most friendly, tender, I might almost say senti- 
mental terms, actually presumes to force me, for fear of 
the army it has concentrated at Prague, to give up Dal- 
matia and Istria, and even what lies beyond the Isonzo. 
It demands, further, the lofl bank of the Inn, and Salz- 
burg, and even one half of tlie (irand Duchy of Warsaw, 
leaving the other half to Prussia and Russia, And these 



2ET.43] A DIARY 387 

benefits are to be secured by the mere display of 100,000 
men and without actual hostilities. 

If possible I shall delay till September, and then strike 
hard. 

(To Maret.) We must gain time. To gain time without 
making Austria hostile we must stick to our text of the 
last six months, that we can do anything provided Aus- 
tria is our ally. 

4th. The armistice was signed to-day at two in the 
afternoon. 

6th, Liegnitz: 

(To General Count Bertrand.) I have received your 
letter. It is true that I was not satisfied with the way 
in which you drew up your troops, nor with the way in 
which you evacuated the plateau in front of Jauer, when 
you had not more than 22 battalions in your front, while 
you had Pegri's and Morand's divisions still intact. On 
more than one occasion you have shown conspicuous 
talent, but war can be conducted only with energy, de- 
cision, and constant resolution; there must be no experi- 
menting, no hesitation. Maintain strict discipline, and 
when you go into action show confidence in your men. 

7th, Hagenau: ' 

, (To the Empress Maria Louisa.) Madame et chere 
Amie: I have received the letter in which you inform me 
that you received the Archchancellor while still in bed: 
my will is that, in no circumstance, for no reason what- 
ever, should you receive any one whomsoever while still 
in bed. It is not permissible until past the age of thirty. 

(To the Countess of Montesquiou.) I am pleased to 
hear that my son is growing and continues to give bright 



388 THE CORSICAN [i8i3 

promise. I can only express my satisfaction for all the 
care you bestow upon him. 

The death of the Duke of Friuli has grieved me. In 
twenty years it was the only occasion on which he had 
failed to guess what would please me. 

8th, Bunzlau: 

(To Cambaceres.) My Cousin: The Grand Equerry 
has presumably written to Count Remusat to get us some 
actors for Dresden. I would like this to be talked about 
in Paris, as it would have a good effect in London and in 
Spain, by making them think we are amusing ourselves 
in Dresden. The season is not well suited for the theatre, 
so that you need not send us more than six or seven actors. 

13th, Dresden: 

(To General Savary.) The tone of j^our correspondence 
displeases me: you are always worrying me about the 
need for peace. I know more about the situation of my 
Empire than you do, and your manner of writing produces 
a disagreeable effect on me. I want peace, and am more 
concerned to get it than any one else : your discourses on 
that topic are therefore wasted; but I shall never con- 
clude a dishonourable peace, nor one that would mean 
another even more bitter war in six months. Don't re- 
ply; these matters don't concern you; don't interfere in 
them. 

15th. (To Cambaceres.) It would appear that the Min- 
ister of Police wants to make me pacific. No good can 
come of it, and it hurts my feelings, because it suggests 
that I am not pacific. I am not a rodomont; I do not 
make of war my occupation, and nobody is more pacific 
than I am. 



JET. 43] A DIARY 389 

26th, Dresden: 

Ah! there you are, Metternich! Welcome! But If you 
wanted peace why didn't you come to see me sooner ? 
We have already lost a month, and your mediation is 
so tardy that it looks hostile. 

So it's war you want! You shall have it; I give you 
rendezvous in Vienna! 

I win two victories, my defeated enemies are just real- 
izing their situation, and all of a sudden you slip into our 
midst, offering me an armistice, mediation, offering them 
your alliance, complicating everything. Without your 
pernicious intervention peace would have been signed by 
now between me and the allies. You must admit that 
from the moment Austria assumed the position of medi- 
ator you were no longer on my side, no longer impartial, 
but my enemy. 

To-day your 200,000 men are ready, over there, be- 
hind the screen of the Bohemian mountains. And because 
you think you are in a position to dictate terms, you now 
approach me. Very well, let us negotiate, I consent. What 
is it you want ? 

(Metternich : It rests with Your Majesty to give the 
world peace.) 

My honour first, and then peace. You cannot know 
what passes through a soldier's mind. A man like me does 
not count the lives of a million of men. I have offered you 
Illyria for your neutrality, does that suit you ? Your 
neutrality is all I ask for. 

(Metternich: Ah, sire, we cannot remain neutral any 
longer; we must be for you, or against you.) 

If it costs me my throne, I will bury the world under 
its ruins! 



390 THE CORSICAN [1813 

Well, what do you mean by peace ? WTiat are your 
conditions ? Do you want to strip me ? Do you want 
Italy, Brabant, Lorraine ? I will not surrender one inch 
of territory; I make peace on the basis of in statu quo 
ante bellum. I will give you nothing because you have 
not defeated me; I w'ill give Prussia nothing, because she 
has betrayed me. lUyria has cost me 300,000 men; if you 
want it, you must spend an equal amount. 

Do you know what is going to happen 'i You will not 
make war against me. 

(Metternich : You are lost, sire; that was my presenti- 
ment when I came here; now, I am certain of it.) 

And it's my father-in-law concocts this scheme! It 
is my father-in-law has sent you here! Ah! Metternich, 
how much has England paid you to play such a part 
against me ? 

30th. I have at this date, 15,000 men without mus- 
kets. 

July 1st. The armistice may be prolonged till the 15th 
of August. 

(To Marshal Soult.) Start before ten o'clock to-night. 
Travel incognito, using the name of one of your aides-de- 
camp. You can get to Paris on the 4th, where you can stay 
with the Minister of War; go with him to see the Arch- 
chancellor, who will post you. Stop not more than 12 hours 
in Paris, and proceed thence to take up the command of 
my armies in Spain. You will take all measures necessary 
for reestablishing our affairs in Spain. 

3d. I cannot yet understand the Spanish business. 
I don't know whether we have really lost a battle {Wi- 
toria), what corps were engaged, nor what has become of 



^T. 43] A DIARY S91 

the King and the army. It is difficult to imagine anything 
so extraordinary as what is happening in Spain. 

15th. The armistice is prolonged until the 15th of 
August through the mediation of Austria. 

20th. Our disasters in Spain are as ridiculous as they 
are great, even the English think so. But the army has 
not lost its prestige. The army of Spain had no general, 
and was burdened with a King. I am bound to admit 
that the fundamental mistakes lie at my own door. 

22d. I am just back from a journey of fifty leagues 
through lower Lusatia. 

I suppose the Empress has started and will sleep to- 
night at Chalons. She will probably not reach Mainz 
before the 25th, when I expect to be already there. 

25th. The Emperor will start for Mainz in his carriage 
at 2 A. M. with the Prince of Neuchatel, — Roustan on the 
box, 

27th, Mainz: 

I covered the distance in 42 hours. The Empress is in 
good health. 

There must be from 60,000 to 80,000 conscript de- 
serters in France. 

28th. There is nothing left to do in Europe these last 
two hundred years; it is only in the Orient a man can 
accomplish great things, 

29th, (To the Prince of Neuchatel,) Tell the Duke of 
Castiglione that I shall leave here on the night of the 1st, 
arriving at Wiirzburg on the morning of the 2d; that I 
shall inspect the two divisions, all I can see of his corps 
at Wiirzburg, as well as the citadel, and then proceed 



392 THE CORSICAN [isis 

to Bamberg, where, on the evenmg of the 2d, I shall in- 
spect the other two divisions; that on the 3d I will see 
the division at Bayreuth, the one at Hof, and General 
Milhaud's cavalry, so that on the night of the 3d to the 
4th I can be back at Dresden. Notify General Pajol so 
that I may find escorts everywhere, but care must be 
taken to keep it secret. It must be given out that it is 
the Prince of Neuchatel travelling. 

The Duke of Dalmatia entered Spain on the 24th at 
the head of his army numbering nearly 100,000 men with 
a numerous artillery. He was marching on Pamplona to 
raise the siege. 

31st. (To General Clarke.) Give orders that all the 
wives of generals, officers, and administrators, all the 
loose women, including those who go dressed as men, 
who are at Bayonne or in the departments of the Landes 
and of the Lower Pyrenees coming from Spain, be removed 
beyond the Garonne immediately. Specifically, the wives 

of Generals G , F , and V are to be sent not 

only beyond the Garonne but to their homes. 

Atigust 4th, Dresden: 

There is nothing doing at the Congress of Prague. An 
English agent is intervening. There can be no result, 
and the Allies intend to denounce the armistice on the 
10th. 

9th. (To General Savary.) It is probable that Austria 
will declare war on the 11th or 12th. That Power has had 
a beautiful dream in which she saw herself recovering all 
she has lost in twenty years! She wants everything, even 
Venice ! 



^T. 43-44] A DIARY 393 

Keep this secret till the last moment. 

11th. Order for the Duke of Reggio to concentrate his 
three army corps with the 3d cavalry corps and to march 
on Berlin. 

12th. The armistice is denounced. I am not informed 
that Austria has declared war, but expect to get the news 
in the course of the day. 

Apart from the 110,000 men I have marching on Berlin, 
and from there on Stettin, I shall have nearly 300,000 
men near Goerlitz. With these 300,000 men I shall 
occupy a position between Goerlitz and Bautzen, so as 
to see what the Russians and Austrians propose doing, 
and to act according to circumstances. 

14th. The King of Naples joined the army to-day. 

15th. The unfortunate and unexpected turn taken by 
Spanish affairs makes it necessary to provide for the de- 
fence of the frontier. A levy of men must therefore be 
made in the south. 

General Moreau has arrived in Berlin. He left Amer- 
ica before the news of the battle of Liitzen had reached 
there, and when these gentlemen thought they were com- 
ing back to France. 

16th, Bautzen: 

We are manceuvring, I am very hopeful of the result 
of the campaign. Jomini, chief of staff of the Prince of 
the Moskowa, has deserted. He is a poor soldier, but a 
writer who has shown some understanding of warfare. 

18th, Reichenbach: 

I have here 365,000 rounds for my artillery, all horsed, 
which is the equivalent of four battles like Wagram, and 
18 million cartridges. 



394 THE CORSICAN [isis 

Goerlitz : 

The Austrians have crossed the Elbe and are marching 
I know not where. I may possibly move straight into 
Bohemia to catch the Russians napping. 

20th, Zittau: 

I crossed the mountains j'-esterday and reached Gabel. 

(To General Corbineau.) Push your cavalry out as far 
as you can on the road to Lauben. We are manoeuvring, 
and must close up for giving battle. 

I am afraid a dispatch I sent to the Duke of Taranto 
has been intercepted, and that the enemy's eyes will be 
opened. 

22d, Loewenberg: 

People will be anxious in Paris, and the Allies will not 
fail to spread bad reports. I am far from having given up 
my Bohemian enterprise. The worst feature of the situa- 
tion is the lack of confidence of the generals : whenever I 
am absent they imagine the enemy are in large numbers. 

23d, Goerlitz: 

The troops that are here can reach Dresden on the 
25th, or, if there is less urgency, on the 26th. 

24th. I am now marching on Dresden to attack the 
forces of the enemy that have moved in that dierction. 
The army that I sent towards Berlin should have reached 
that city to-day. It appears that two regiments of West- 
phalian hussars have gone over to the enemy bag and 
baggage. 

Bautzen, 3 p. m. .- 

I have reached this place with the Guard. To-morrow 
by two o'clock in the afternoon I canHhrow forty thou- 



^T. 44] A DIARY 395 

sand men into Dresden; day after to-morrow 100,000. 
more. 

25th, Stolpen: 

I have just arrived at Stolpen. Vandamme's troops 
are already nearing Dresden. I want as little show made 
as possible so that the enemy may not suspect the arrival 
of these troops, and the operations we are undertaking. 
The Old Guard will arrive at eleven. 

(To Marshal Saint Cyr.) You must hang on. I shall 
reach you early in the morning. 

The reports about the Duke of Reggio are so confused 
that I can form no opinion as to what they mean. The 
letter says that on the 21st and 22d we had some minor 
successes; but it is clear from the official dispatches that 
only a few shots were fired on the 20th and 21st. 

26th, A A.M.: 

Yesterday at midnight the whole of the enemy's army 
was in sight of Dresden, and Marshal Saint Cyr feared 
an attack for this morning. 

On the Dresden road, 9 a.m.: 

We are just arriving at Dresden, the enemy face the city. 

27th, Dresden: 

I won a great victory at Dresden yesterday over the 
Austrian, Russian, and Prussian armies commanded by 
the Emperor of Austria, the Emperor of Russia, and the 
King of Prussia. Many prisoners, flags, and guns are 
being brought in. 

The enemy are not retreating. If they remain in posi- 
tion, my intention is to turn their left, and the King of 
Naples will carry out this operation with the 38 batta- 
lions of the Duke of Belluno. 



396 THE CORSICAN [isi3 

29th. The news of the death of Moreau is coming in 
from every quarter; it is probably true. 

30th. (To the Prince of Neuchatel.) Write to the Duke 
of Treviso to support General Vandamme, if he is pressed. 
Send an officer to General Vandamme to find out what is 
going on, and give him orders to return at once. 

September 1st. The Duke of Taranto is at Goerlitz 
to-day. If he continues his retreat, I shall have to move 
to his support; I cannot allow him to be driven back be- 
yond Bautzen. 

The misfortune that has overtaken the 1st corps could 
not well be foreseen. General Vandamme, who seems to 
have been killed, had left no posts in the mountains, and 
had no reserves anywhere; he ran into a corner without 
seeing what he was doing. 

2d. (To Berthier.) Inform the Duke of Reggio that I 
learn with great displeasure that, making no use of his 
three corps, he has retired under the guns of Wittenberg; 
that perceiving his hesitation I had already sent the Prince 
of the Moskowa to take command of his army. 

3d. I shall be at Bautzen to-morrow morning to join 
the Duke of Taranto and his army ; the enemy are pursuing 
him briskly and appear very confident; I shall attack them 
in the course of the day and try to drive them back to 
Reichenbach, and after the battle I shall make a forced 
march on Berlin. 

(To General Count Friant.) On your march towards 
Bautzen you will find many stragglers and plunderers be- 
longing to the 3d, 5th, and 11th corps who have thrown 
their muskets away. Turn them back on Bautzen, where 
muskets will l)e served out to lliciu. 



^T.44] A DIARY 397 

(To General Durosnel.) Look after the bridges sharply; 
allow none but wounded men to cross, and arrest all the 
rabble that are deserting from the army. 

6th, Bautzen: 

I am at Bautzen. I pursued the enemy beyond the 
Niesse; at six o'clock we reached Goerlitz. As soon as the 
enemy discovered I was with the army, they promptly 
ran away in all directions. It proved impossible to catch 
them up; they did little more than fire a few cannon-shots. 
I immediately returned here, where I have the 6th corps 
and the Guard. 

8th, Dresden: 

The enemy show themselves along all the passes into 
Bohemia, and we may soon become engaged. 

9th, Liebstadt: 

The great thing now is to give the Guard a little rest. 

10th. The Prince of the Moskowa, who with his three 
corps met with a check on the 6th, is rallying his troops 
at Torgau. 

11th, Breitenau: 

We hold all the passes into Bohemia. I could see the 
enemy's army yesterday retreating in haste to form in 
front of Teplitz. If I had been able to move artillery 
through Geyersberg we should have attacked the enemy 
in flank, and won a great success; but all our efforts were 
in vain, and the misfortune that has overtaken the Ber- 
lin army prevents my pressing on further. 

19th, Pima: 

The weather is horrible. The Prince of Neuchatel is 
ill; I don't know whether it is his gout or only an attack 
of fever. 



398 THE CORSICAN [1813 

(To the Duke of Bassano.) Tell the Count of Narbonne 
that his dispatches are ridiculous and only prove one 
thing, that he has no experience of warfare. Is it ex- 
traordinary that there should be some confusion in a for- 
tress that has just served as the rallying point for a de- 
feated army ? Tell him to use more sensible language in 
his letters than, for instance, his formula about speaking 
the truth, as though it were not everybody's duty to 
speak the truth, and as though everybody did not actually 
speak it. Protestations of speaking the truth suggest that 
it is not always spoken. Try as politely as possible to 
make him see all this; but really he is writing to the chief 
of staff in a ridiculous manner. He should not go off into 
amazement at everything he sees, but state it simply, 
and all will be mended; the Prince of the Moskowa's army 
will presently move away; the enemy will be dislodged 
from the right bank; the general in command of the ar- 
tillery will send guns; Count Daru will send equipment; 
clothes will come in from all sides; the depots will be 
armed and equipped; the thing is only momentary. 

20th. (To Marshal Marmont.) The weather has been 
so awful yesterday and through the night that we can't 
possibly move. It is unlikely that the enemy's infantry 
will attempt to advance. It they should, I will support 
you and we will give them battle, which would suit us 
well, but appears not to be what they want. 

22d, Hartau: 

I am sleeping at Hartau. I attacked and pushed back 
the enemy, who are now rclivating on Bautzen. 

:2S(1. (To Count Daru.) The army is not ])roperly fed; 
it would be a delusion to Ihiuk it is. Twenly-four ounces 



MT.M] A DIARY 39^ 

of bread, one ounce of rice, and eight of meat are not enough 
for a soldier. Now we are getting only eight ounces of 
bread, three of rice, and eight of meat. 

24 th. The enemy will probably retreat to-night and 
cross the Spree. If they don't cross to-night, they cer- 
tainly will to-morrow when they see large forces being 
deployed against them. I should lose several days to no 
purpose. 

30th, Dresden: 

At noon on the 28th the Swedes attempted to recap- 
ture Dessau; the Swedish Guard lost 1500 men, and failed 
completely. 

October 2d. It would be the best possible news to hear 
that the enemy are running their heads into Leipzig 
with 80,000 men; the war would soon be over then; but 
I imagine they know my methods too well to take any 
such risks. 

3d. (To Berthier.) Write to the Prince of the Moskowa 
that the reports are false, that Bavaria has not abandoned 
our alliance, on the contrary. 

(To Marmont.) The current rumours are false. You 
must act with the greatest prudence. Above all, you must 
support the Prince of the Moskowa. The King of Naples 
with the 2d, 5th, and 8th corps will oppose everything 
that comes out of Bohemia. 

I repeat that to cover Leipzig, — since you are there, — 
to prevent the Elbe being crossed between Wittenberg 
and Torgau, to support the Prince of the Moskowa, those 
are your chief objects. The rest will come after. 

(To Savary.) I have received your ciphered letter of 
the 27th. It's very good of you to look after the Bourse; 



400 THE CORSICAN [1813 

what concern of yours is it if prices are falling ? People 
who sell Government bonds at 60 will have to buy them 
back at 80. The less you interfere in such matters the 
better. It is natural that there should be more or less of 
a fall in prices under such circumstances as these; let 
them go on their own way. Who is hurt by it ? Only those 
who are soft enough to sell. What does it matter if Govern- 
ment bonds drop to 6 francs, provided the interest is 
regularly paid. The one thing needed to make things 
worse is for you to mix yourself up with them, and to act 
as though you attributed some importance to the matter. 
As for me, I don't. 

6th. Order for the Duke of Castiglione to march on 
Leipzig. 

The whole of the army of Silesia, commanded by Gen- 
eral Bliicher, has slipped away towards Wittenberg. He 
threw a bridge in the night at Wartenberg. General Ber- 
trand fought for twelve hours; the enemy attacked him 
seven times without dislodging him. At night, seeing 
that the enemy were being reinforced, General Bertrand 
retreated. 

I shall reach Meissen to-night at the head of 80,000 
men, with my advance guard at the fork of the Leipzig 
and Torgau roads. 

7th. (To Berliner.) Write to the King of Naples that 
his principal object must be to retard the enemj's ad- 
vance towards Ix^ijizig, so that we may all close in on 
Leipzig together, hold the enemy at a distance from it, 
or, if necessary, fight a pitched battle. 



iET.44] A DIARY 401 

Marshal Saint Cyr must distribute the Westphalians 
in his different divisions, one regiment per division. 

Headquarters will start at ten o'clock this morning 
for Meissen, as I mean to defeat Bliicher and the Swedes 
before they can effect their junction with Schwarzenberg. 

Seerhausen : 

We are here, with headquarters in an old castle. We 
are expecting news every moment. 

9th, Wiirzen: 

I think it important we should hold Diiben, and if the 
enemy have not more than 30,000 men there I propose 
attacking this very evening. General Bliicher is said to 
be at Diiben. Unfortunately the weather is very bad. 

10th, Eilenburg: 

We got to Diiben yesterday. General Langeron had 
left there at three in the afternoon. 

I am anxious to get news from Leipzig as to the move- 
ments of the enemy, and to know whether they are ad- 
vancing or otherwise. 

Diiben, 3 p. m. .- 

The Austrian army is debouching through Penig. At 
daybreak the King of Naples was at Frohburg. It seems 
probable that he will retreat towards Leipzig in the course 
of the day. 

This will all finish with a thunderclap ! " 

11th. (To General Count Regnier.) General Latour 
Maubourg is arriving; clear the bridge for him. With the 
cavalry we shall be able to get some information as to 
what the enemy is doing at Dessau. Do they intend to 
cross back and give us battle on the right bank, or do they 
mean to take up their bridge and stay on the left bank ? 



402 THE CORSICAN (isis 

12th. All my information points to General Bllicher's 
having moved on Halle during the 10th, ^Yittgenstein 
has been engaged with the King of Naples at Borna. 

3 p. M. : 

We have seized the enemy's bridges over the Elbe, and 
it appears that the Berlin army crossed back to the right 
bank. In the other direction the King of Naples occu- 
pied the position of Croebern this morning, and is hold- 
ing it; I have instructed him to hold it the whole of 
to-morrow the 13th. To-morrow at noon we shall have 
70,000 men concentrated within reach of Leipzig. 

-4 P. M. : 

The King of Naples estimates the enemy in his front 
at 60,000 men. If he can hold out through the 13th with- 
out reinforcements, I shall march on Leipzig and bring 
the enemy to battle. 

(To Marshal Marmont.) March so that you can send 
help to Leipzig, and take your orders from the King as 
to coming into action. ^Ye seem to have reached the 
crisis; now all depends on fighting hard. 

13th, 5 A. M. : 

The Bavarian army has joined the Austrian, and they 
are threatening the Rhine. 

(To Ney.) I have drawn back all the Guard so as to 
march on Leipzig to-morrow; the King of Naples is cover- 
ing the city. I have moved the Duke of Ragusa there, 
which will give the King of Naples 90,000 men. I think 
we must concentrate as quickly as we can. There will 
certainly be a great battle at Leipzig. 

10 A.M.: 

(To Marraonl.) It is to be feared that Blucher may 



iET.44] A DIARY 403 

debouch at Halle, or at some other point. It is important 
that the army of Silesia should not approach Leipzig 
nearer than two leagues. 

You are to dispose your troops on two ranks instead 
of three. The enemy, who are used to seeing us in three 
ranks, will think our battalions one third larger. Issue 
precise orders for carrying out these instructions. 

(To Joachim Napoleon, King of Naples.) I have re- 
ceived your letter. The Duke of Ragusa will reach Hohen- 
leina this morning at eight. It is very important that 
you should not make use of this marshal, for if you do, 
you would have to weaken your line at a very critical 
moment in the event of Bliicher's debouching through 
Halle. That is the sort of movement that brings about the 
loss of battles; they are won only by strengthening the 
line at the critical moment. Take good care not to use 
the 6th corps except as a last resource, for all the indica- 
tions are that the army of Silesia is in the neighbour- 
hood of Halle. 

14th. I shall start for Leipzig at seven. 

7 A.M.: 

(To Macdonald.) I hope you will arrive early. We shall 
undoubtedly be attacked to-morrow by the army of Bo- 
hemia and the army of Silesia. March rapidly therefore, 
and if you should hear them, move towards the sound of 
the guns. The army of Silesia is debouching through 
Halle. 

Reudnitz : 

(To Marmont.) Headquarters are at Reudnitz. I am 
sending you an account of the battle fought by Gustavus 
Adolphus that deals with the positions you occupy. 



404 THE CORSICAN [1813 

15th. The enemy engaged the King of Naples yester- 
day with 80,000 men; they delivered six attacks and 
were driven back each time. The 5th cavalry corps, in 
part made up of cavalry from Spain, made some splendid 
charges. Not only did the King of Naples maintain his 
positions, but he even recovered some ground he had 
evacuated in the night in order to concentrate. 

16th, 7^. M.; 

(To Marmont.) As I am on the point of attacking the 
Austrians, I think you should come up in reserve about 
half a league from the city, with your divisions in eche- 
lons; you can move from there on Lindenau, if the enemy 
should make a serious attack on that side, which appears 
highly improbable. I shall draw you into line as soon as 
I have estimated the enemy's numbers and seen that we 
can bring them to action. Or, again, you could move to 
support General Bertrand if, which is unlikely, the enemy 
appeared on the Halle road. 

At nine in the morning the grand army of the Allies 
advanced against us. Its movement tended constantly 
to extend towards the right. At noon the enemy's sixth 
attack had been thrown back. 

The Emperor ordered the Duke of Reggio to move on 
"Wachau with two divisions of the Young Guard; order- 
ing the Duke of Treviso at the same time to move on Lie- 
bertwolkvitz with two other divisions of the Young Guard, 
and to seize the wood on the left of the village. He also 
pushed forward in the centre a battery of 150 guns under 
the command of General Drouot. 

This combined movement resulted as was hoped. The 



JET. 44] A DIARY 405 

enemy retired, and left us the whole of the field of 
battle. 

It was now three o'clock in the afternoon. All the 
enemy's forces had been engaged; they had recourse to 
their reserves. Count Merveldt, who was in command of 
the whole Austrian reserve, relieved with his six divisions 
every column of their troops; while the Russian Imperial 
Guard, which formed the Russian reserve, relieved them 
in the centre. 

The King of Naples placed himself at the head of the 
cuirassiers and marched on the enemy's cavalry to the 
left of Wachau, while the Polish horse and the dragoons 
of the Guard charged to the right. The enemy's cavalry 
was routed. Matters being thus reestablished on our 
right, the enemy fell back, and did not dispute possession 
of the battlefield any longer. 

It is impossible to praise too highly the conduct of 
Count Lauriston and Prince Poniatowski in this battle. 
As a proof of his satisfaction the Emperor promoted the 
latter on the battlefield to be a Marshal of France. 

The Duke of Ragusa was engaged on the right of the 
Partha about one league from Leipzig, and four from the 
battlefield where the Emperor commanded. The Duke 
of Ragusa, with no supports, defended Leipzig and main- 
tained his position during the whole day ; but he suffered 
losses that were not compensated by those, however 
great, he inflicted on the enemy. At night the Duke of 
Ragusa, who was slightly wounded, was compelled to 
draw in his lines towards the Partha. 

18th. Having discovered that the enemy had been re- 
inforced and held a very strong position, the Emperor 



406 THE CORSICAN [1813 

decided to draw them on to another battleground. At 
two o'clock in the morning of the 18th he fell back two 
leagues towards Leipzig and there firmly awaited the 
onset of the enemy. 

At nine o'clock our pickets reported them advanc- 
ing at every point. At ten o'clock the artillery opened 
fire. 

Throughout the day the repeated efforts of the enemy 
to carry Connewitz and Probstheyda failed. The Duke of 
Taranto was outflanked at Holzhausen. 

At five in the afternoon the Emperor threw in the re- 
serve artillery and developed all our fire against the enemy 
who were pushed back the distance of one league. 

While this was happening the army of Silesia had fought 
its way into the suburbs of Halle, and the Saxon army, 
horse, foot, and guns, with the Wiirtemberg cavalry, 
passed over to the enemy. This treachery not only opened 
a gap in our line, but placed the enemy in possession of 
the important passage intrusted to the Saxon army, 
which carried its infamy to the point of immediately 
turning its forty guns against Durutte's division. A mo- 
mentary disorder ensued; the enemy crossed the Partha 
and pushed on to Reudnitz, which they occupied; they 
were only half a league from Leipzig. 

At six the Emperor issued his orders for the next day. 
But at seven General Sorbier and General Dulanloy, 
commanding the artillery of the army and of the Guard, 
reported at his bivouac with an account of the cxj)endi- 
ture of ammunition during the day. They stated that 
the reserve sup{)lics were exhausted, and that there re- 
mained not over 10,000 rounds. This state of things made 



iET.44] A DIARY 407 

a movement towards one of our two great magazines 
necessary; the Emperor decided for Erfurt. 

By this decision the French army was compelled to 
abandon the fruits of two victories, in which it had ac- 
quired such glory in defeating the far more numerous 
armies of the whole Continent. 

19th, Lindenau: 

The Emperor had ordered the engineers to mine the 
great bridge between Leipzig and Lindenau so as to blow 
it up at the last moment; part of the army was still on 
the further side with 80 guns and a train of several hun- 
dred wagons. 

The head of column of this part of the army, on seeing 
the bridge blow up, supposed it had fallen into the power 
of the enemy. A cry of dismay went up from the ranks: 
"The enemy are in our rear; the bridge is cut!" The un- 
fortunate men broke their ranks and sought all means 
of escape. The Duke of Taranto swam across; Count 
Lauriston, less lucky, was drowned; Prince Poniatowski, 
on a spirited horse, plunged in and was never seen again. 

It is impossible as yet to estimate the loss involved by 
this unfortunate accident, but the disorder it has caused 
in the army has completely altered the appearance of 
things. The victorious French army will reach Erfurt 
with all the appearance of a defeated army. The enemy, 
shaken by the battles of the 16th and 18th, have taken 
heart owing to the disaster of the 19th and have assumed 
a victorious attitude. 

I could see clearly enough the fatal hour coming! My 
star was growing paler; I felt the reins slipping from my 



408 THE CORSICAN [1813 

fingers; and I could do nothing. Only a thunderstroke 
could save us. I had, therefore, to fight it out; and day 
by day, by this or that fatality, our chances were be- 
coming more slender! 

20th, on the road to Weissenfels : 

A dispatch must be sent to the Duke of Valmy, who 
will send a semaphore message stating that after much 
fighting, of which the honour remains with us, I am 
marching on the Saale; that the Emperor is in good 
health. 

23d, Erfurt: 

Order for General Sebastiani to start. He is to push 
back the Cossacks and reestablish communications with 
Erfurt. 

It seems to me highly improper that in the address 
of the Municipal body of Paris to the Empress the con- 
duct of Maria Theresa should have been recalled: it 
shows lack of tact. 

25th, Gotha: 

I shall proceed to Mainz, and concentrate the army on 
the frontier. The treachery of Bavaria, which is as incon- 
ceivable as it was unexpected, has upset all my plans, and 
compels me to bring the war nearer to our frontiers. 

I am writing to the iSJiiiislcr of War on the subject of 
a levy of 80,000 to 100,000 men which I need. Willi the 
whole of Europe under arms, when everywhere married 
as well as unmarried men arc being raised and everybody 
is in arms against us, France is lost unless she does the 
same. 



;et.44] a diary 409 

A great stream of stragglers is constantly coming in. 

28tli, on the road near Schluchterne : 

(To the Polish officers.) Is it true that the Poles want 
to leave me ? 

I went too far. I have made mistakes. Fortune has 
turned her back on me these last two years; but she's 
a woman, and will change. Who can tell ? Perhaps it is 
your evil star has drawn mine on ? In any case have you 
lost confidence in me ? Is there no . . . left in my . , . ? 
Do I look thinner ? 

I only hope the Allies will burn down two or three of my 
good cities of France; it would give me a million of sol- 
diers, I would offer them battle, I would beat them, 
and I would drive them at tap of drum all the way back 
to the Vistula. 

I have been informed as to what you want. As Em- 
peror, as general, I have nothing but gratitude for all 
you have done; I have nothing to reproach you with, you 
have acted loyally towards me; you have not been will- 
ing to abandon me without notice, and you have even 
undertaken to reconduct me to the Rhine. To-day, I 
want to give you good advice. If you abandon me I shall 
no longer have the right of speaking for you; and I imag- 
ine that in spite of our disasters I am still the most power- 
ful monarch of Europe. 

31st, Frankfort: 

I have just reached Frankfort. The Bavarian army, 
together with the Austrian army that was opposed to it, 
with a total of 60,000 men, had taken position at Hanau 
so as to cut me off from France. I defeated them yester- 
day at sight, capturing guns, flags, and 6000 prisoners. 



410 THE CORSICAN [1813 

November 1st. (To Maria Louisa.) Madam and be- 
loved wife : I am sending you twenty standards captured 
by my armies at the battles of ^\achau, of Leipzig, and 
of Hanau; they are a tribute I delight to pay you. Pray 
see in them a mark of my satisfaction with your conduct 
during the regency which I intrusted to you. 

2d, Mainz: 

I have arrived at Mainz. I am trying to rally, to rest, 
and reorganize the army. 

3d. (To Prince Cambaceres.) My Cousin : Talk with 
the Councillors of State and Senators who are nervous. 
I am told in many quarters that they are showing great 
lack of courage. I regret not being in Paris, so that peo- 
ple might see me more cool and more calm than in any 
event of my life. 

(To Savary.) The alarms and apprehension at Paris 
amuse me; I thought you capable of facing the truth. I 
shall defeat the enemy quicker than you think. 

My presence is too much needed with the army at this 
moment for me to leave it. When it is necessary I shall 
come to Paris. 

7th. I leave to-night for Paris. 

10th, Saint Cloud: 

The Director of the conscription promises 150,000 men. 
As 150,000 are not enough, I must have 100,000 more. 

The conscription of 1815 is estimated at 100,000 men; 
I shall be able to levy 200,000. 

12th. I am working at present on raising 600,000 men. 

14th, Palace of the Tuilerics: 

Senators, I thank you for your sentiments. One year 
ago all Europe was marching with us; now all Europe is 



iET.44] A DIARY 411 

marching against us. The reason is that the opinion of 
the world is governed either by France or by England. 
We should therefore have everything to fear were it not 
for the courage and power of the nation. Posterity will 
declare that the great and critical events that face us 
were not superior to France nor to me. 

15th, Saint Cloud: 

Order, in the event of the English reaching the chateau 
of Marracq, that the chateau and all the buildings be- 
longing to me there be burnt down, so that they may not 
sleep in my bed. All the furniture may be removed and 
stored at Bayonne. 

17th. I am informed by semaphore that the people 
of Amsterdam have risen in insurrection. 

December 14th, Paris: 

I regret to see that the epidemic continues; is there no 
hope that the cold weather will check it ? 

15th. We are badly off for muskets. 

17th. (To Count Montalivet.) You will find herewith 
a schedule of 21,200 unemployed workmen drawn up 
by the Prefect of Police; I intend to provide them with 
work. It is difficult to believe that there can be in Paris 
350 braid makers, 700 hatters, 1200 locksmiths, 500 car- 
penters, 2000 ironsmiths, 2000 carriage builders, 300 
shoemakers, without employment, when complaints are 
constant that we cannot get any for the war admin- 
istration or for the Guard. In any event, I intend 
doubling, tripling employment, rather than leave them 
without any. 

20th. (To Marshal Mortier.) Brussels is surrounded by 
Russian Cossacks, Dutch Cossacks, and, I suspect, a few 



412 THE CORSICAN [isis 

local Cossacks; your mounted division must be quickly 
put in order so as to get after them. 

21st. The chief of staff will inform the Duke of Bel- 
luno that he must form his corps into three divisions with- 
out fail on the 1st of January, even if he has no more than 
3000 men in each division. 

26tli. The enemy have debouched by Bale and are 
marching on Belfort, which their advance guard prob- 
ably reached on the 24th. It is absolutely necessary to 
move the Guard, horse and foot, with the reserve artillery, 
to Reims. If the news should become more urgent, I will 
give orders for the infantry to travel by stage, but so far 
this does not appear to be necessary. 

31st. The Legislative Body, instead of helping to save 
France, is helping on her ruin, and is false to its duties ; 
I carry out mine and dissolve it. 

This is my decree, and if I were assured that its con- 
sequence would be that the people of Paris would march 
to massacre me in the Palace of the Tuileries, still I would 
maintain it; for that is my duty. When the French people 
placed their fate in my hands, I considered the laws under 
which I was asked to govern; had I thought them in- 
sufficient I would not have accepted. Let no one imagine 
that I am a Louis XVI ! 



1814 

January 1st, Paris: 

Gentlemen, you might have done some good* and you 
have only done harm. You say that adversity has coun- 
selled me well. How can you turn my reverses into a re- 
proach "^ I have supported them with honour, because 
Nature gave me a strong and proud character; were 
not this pride in my soul I could not have risen to the 
greatest throne of the Universe. 

Yet I needed sympathy, and it was to you I looked for 
it. You have tried to spatter me with mud, but I am one of 
those men who must be killed and cannot be dishonoured. 
When it is a question of driving away the enemy, you ask 
me for institutions; as though we had none! Is not the 
constitution enough for you ? You should have asked 
for another one four years ago, or else wait until two 
years after peace is made. Do you want to imitate the 
Constituent Assembly and start a Revolution ? 

(Orders to be issued by the chief of staff.) The army 
will comprise four corps. 

The chief of staff will arrange with the Defence Com- 
mittee to divide the frontier among these four commands. 

Attached to each of these four armies there shall be 
an Insurrectional Committee. 

4th. (To Caulaincourt.) I doubt whether the Allies 
are acting in good faith, and whether England wants 
peace; I do, but only solid and honourable. 

You must listen, observe. It is not certain that they will 



414 THE CORSICAN [18U 

let you reach headquarters; the Russians and Enghsh 
will want to prevent our coming to an explanation and 
understanding with the Emperor of Austria. You must 
try to get the views of the Allies, and to let me know what 
you find out daily, so that I may be able to draw up in- 
structions for you, instructions for which I have no data 
at present. Do they want to reduce France to her old 
frontiers ? Italy is untouched, and the Viceroy has a good 
army. In another week I shall have collected enough men 
to fight several battles, even before the arrival of my 
troops from Spain. The pillaging of the Cossacks will 
drive the inhabitants to arms and double our numbers. 
If the nation supports me the enemy are on the road to 
ruin. If Fortune betrays me my resolve is taken, I am 
not wedded to the throne. I shall abase neither the nation 
nor myself by accepting shameful terms. 

The thing is to know what Metternich wants. It is not 
the interest of Austria to push things to extremes; one 
step more and the leading role will escape her. 

I am starting for the army. We shall be so close that 
your first reports will reach me without loss of time. Send 
me frequent couriers. 

7th. (To Joseph.) My Brother: I have received your 
letter. It is too full of subtleties to fit my present situation. 
Here is the question in two words. France is invaded, Eu- 
rope is all in arms against France, but especially against 
me. You are no longer King of Spain. What will you do ? 
Will you, as a French prince, support my throne ? If so 
you must say so, write me a straightforward letter that 
I can publish, receive the officials, and display zeal for 
my cause and for that of the King of Rome, good- will 



.ET. 44] A DIARY 415 

towards the Regency of the Empress. Can you not bring 
yourself to this ? Haven't you enough good sense to do 
this? 

Otherwise you must retire quietly to a chateau forty 
leagues from Paris. If I survive, you can live there quietly. 
If I die, you will be assassinated or arrested. You will be 
useless to me, to the family, to your daughters, to France, 
but you will be doing no harm and will not embarrass 
me. Decide at once, choose your path. 

8th. Communications with Mainz are cut. 

10th. (To Marshal Macdonald.) You must see how im- 
portant it is to delay the enemy's advance. Use the for- 
esters, the game-keepers, the national guards, to harass 
the enemy as much as possible. 

12th. General Biilow is concentrating at Breda. Gen- 
eral Bliicher, with the army of Silesia, has debouched 
by Coblentz, and is marching on Metz. A third body, 
commanded by Prince Schwarzenberg, has debouched 
by Bale. 

No preparations are to be made for abandoning Paris; 
if necessary we must be buried under its ruins. 

17th. I am sending cavalry, infantry, and artillery to 
Chalons, where I expect to place my headquarters very 
soon. 

(To Marshal Victor.) The Emperor disapproves your 
abandoning Nancy. His Majesty orders you not to leave 
the line of the Moselle without fighting. It is bringing the 
enemy down on us, and doing us the greatest harm. 

18th. I continue receiving, through the police, the 
most alarming news from the north. 



416 THE CORSICAN [1814 

For 300 guns I need three or four hundred thousand 
rounds; I wonder if the artillery department has thought 
of this ? If I had had 30,000 rounds at Leipzig on the night 
of the 18th I should to-day be master of the world. 

21st. .(To General Savary.) Start the Pope off before 
five in the morning. The adjutant can say that he is 
taking him to Rome, where he is to be dropped like a 
shell. 

23d. (To General Count Belliard.) I shall take the of- 
fensive. Try to have information for me when I reach 
Chalons as to w^here the enemy's infantry is placed, so 
that I may fall on it. Keep the news of my arrival secret. 
Don't take any risk with dispatches so that nothing may 
be intercepted, and nothing known of my arrival. 

24th. King Joseph is to command the National Guard 
of Paris as my lieutenant-general. 

26th, Chalons: 

(To Berthier.) You must get information as to what 
the enemy are doing at Saint Dizier : who is in command, 
and what are their numbers ? If there are only 25,000 or 
30,000 men, we can beat them, and if we succeed in this, 
the whole state of affairs would be changed. If, on the 
contrary, we give them long enough to concentrate, we 
should stand no chance at all. Get two or three hundred 
thousand bottles of wine and brandy at Vitry to serve 
out to the army to-day and to-morrow. If there should 
be nothing but champagne, take it just the same; better 
we .should have it than the enemy. 

Vitry-le-Frangais : 

We can crush the enemy ])y our groat superiority in 
artillery. I expect to get 300 guns into line to-morrow. 



iET.44] A DIARY 417 

28th, St. Dizier: 

On the 27th I advanced against St. Dizier, which the 
enemy occupied, and drove them out. We captured a few 
guns and made a few prisoners. I discovered that Blucher 
had marched on Brienne with 25,000 men; he will reach 
there to-day. I have cut his line of operations and am 
marching to attack him in the rear. If he holds his posi- 
tion, we may possibly have an action at Brienne to-morrow. 

29th, Montierender: 

There is a decided thaw; we can manage to get through 
to-day. 

31st, Brienne: 

"We had a lively engagement on the 29th at Brienne. 
I attacked the whole army of Marshal Blucher and of 
General Sacken just at the end of a forced march. I 
fortunately got possession of the castle which dominates 
(the town) at the beginning of the action. As firing only 
began one hour before dark, we fought through the 
night. Bllicher was defeated; we captured 500 or 600 pris- 
oners, killed or wounded 3000 or 4000; and drove the 
enemy on Bar-sur-Aube, I pursued them for two leagues 
in that direction yesterday, firing salvos from forty 
guns. In our present circumstances, and with such troops 
as I have to handle, I count myself lucky that things have 
turned out as well as they have. 

We have taken up a position two leagues in front of 
Brienne. Our prestige has gone up with the Allies since 
this engagement. They thought we had no army left. 

February 1st. Battle of La Rothiere. Retreat on Paris. 

2d, Piney: 

The enemy's soldiers are behaving horribly everywhere. 



418 THE CORSICAN [1814 

All the inhabitants are fleeing to the woods. There are no 
peasants left in the villages. The enemy consume every- 
thing, take all the horses, all the cattle, all the clothing 
and rags of the peasants; they strike everybody, men and 
women, and commit a great number of rapes. I hope 
soon to draw my people from this miserable state and 
from this truly horrible suffering. The enemy should 
think of this twice, for Frenchmen are not patient; they 
are courageous by nature, and I expect to see them form- 
ing themselves into free companies. 

I shall be at Troyes to-morrow. Perhaps Blucher's 
army will operate between the Manie and the Aube. 

3d, Troyes: 

I expect to get 15,000 men from the army of Spain 
day after to-morrow. 

4th. (To Caulaincourt.) Prince Schwarzenberg's re- 
port is moonshine. There was no battle. The Old Guard 
was not on the field; the Young Guard was not engaged. 
We lost a few guns that were taken in cavalry charges. 
It appears that the whole of the enemy's army was in 
line, and that they regard it as a battle; if they do, it is 
not much to their credit. They had not more than 15,000 
of us in their front, and we held our ])osilions all day. 

Gth. (To General Clarke.) You told me that the artillery 
had a great number of pikes: have them served out to the 
national guards who are collecting near Paris. They will 
serve for the third rank. Have regulations printed on 
how to liaiullc them. Send pikes to tlu" departments 
also; they arc better than pitchforks, antl in any case 
they are short even of pitchforks in the cities. 



^T 44] A DIARY 419 

I shall be at Nogent early to-morrow; I can therefore 
cover Paris. 

7th, Nogent: 

(To Cambaceres.) I have your letter of the 6th. I see 
that instead of encouraging the Empress you are dis- 
couraging her. Why lose your head ? What is the mean- 
ing of these Misereres and forty hour services in the 
Chapel ? Are you getting insane in Paris ? 

Subject to the news I get, I expect to march at daybreak 
with the 6000 cavalry of the Guard and the 10,000 foot 
of the Old Guard. But as I cannot risk a false move, I 
must wait for precise information. 

8th. (To Marmont.) Cut the Montmirail road and 
send news as quickly as you can. I cannot believe the 
enemy are marching on the Epinay road. 

(To King Joseph.) If, owing to circumstances I can- 
not foresee, I should move to the Loire, I would not leave 
the Empress and my son far from me, because whatever 
happened they would be seized and taken to Vienna. It 
would be all the more certain to happen if I were no 
longer alive. 

I confess that your letter of the 7th at 11 p. m. hurt me, 
because I can distinguish no reason in your ideas, and 
because you follow the chatter and the opinions of a lot 
of unreflecting people. If Talleyrand is in any way con- 
nected with the idea of leaving the Empress in Paris if 
our troops evacuate the city, it means that some treach- 
ery is being hatched. I repeat it, be on your guard 
against that man. I have had dealings with him during 
sixteen years. At one time I even held him in high 



420 THE CORSICAN [i8u 

regard; but now that Fortune has for a while abandoned 
our House, he is assuredly its greatest enemy. Stick to 
my advice. I know more than do all those people. 

If news should come of a lost battle and of my death, 
you would receive it before my ministers. Send the Em- 
press and King of Rome to Rambouillet; order the Senate, 
the Council of State, and all the troops to rally on the 
Loire; leave in Paris the Prefect, or an Imperial Commis- 
sioner, or a Mayor. Never let the Empress or the King 
of Rome fall into the hands of the enemy. I feel that I 
had rather my son were strangled than see him brought 
up at Vienna as an Austrian prince; and' I have a high 
enough opinion of the Empress to believe that she thinks 
the same way, as much as a woman and a mother can. 
I have never seen Andromaqiie performed without griev- 
ing for the fate of Astyanax surviving his House, and 
without thinking it happiness for him not to survive his 
father. You don't know the French nation: the results 
of what might occur during these great events is incal- 
culable. 

(To Daure.) The army is dying of starvation, although 
we have marked our route in flames and in blood in 
order to get food. And yet if I were to credit your re- 
ports, the army is fed. The Duke of Belluno has nothing; 
General Gerard has nothing; the cavalry of the Guard is 
dying of hunger. 

9lh. (To Savary.) Send twenty picked gendarmes and 
twenty Paris gendarmes to arrest the stragglers and to 
decimate them, that is to shoot one in ten. 

I had to work hard tlirouuh the night and was unable 



^T.44] A DIARY 421 

to start for Sezanne. The Duke of Ragusa is at Cham- 
paubert. General Sacken is at Montmirail with 15,000 
men. I will have him attacked to-morrow. 

10th, Sezanne: 

I am just getting into the saddle to move on Champau- 
bert. I am rather delayed by the roads; they are awful; 
we have six feet of mud, 

Champaubert, 10 p. m. .- 

I attacked the enemy at Champaubert. They had 
twelve regiments and forty guns. The general-in-chief, 
Olsouvief, was captured, with all his generals, officers, 
guns, wagons, and baggage. We have counted so far 6000 
prisoners, 40 guns, 200 wagons. The rest were driven into 
a pond, or killed on the field of battle. This corps is ab- 
solutely destroyed. 

We are marching on Montmirail, which we should 
reach at ten o'clock to-night. I have the strongest hopes 
that Sacken is lost; and if luck is with us, as it has been 
to-day, the whole look of things will change in the twink- 
ling of an eye, because Sacken's corps is the backbone of 
the Russian army, made up as it is of 10 divisions or 60 
battalions. Bliicher is cut off from Sacken: he has two 
divisions with him. 

11th, near Montmirail: 

My brother, it is eight o'clock and before turning in 
I send you these two lines to inform you that to-day's 
work has been decisive. The enemy's army of Silesia no 
longer exists; I have completely routed it. We have 
captured all its guns and baggage and taken thousands 
of prisoners, perhaps 7000; they are coming in every 
minute. There are 5000 or 6000 of the enemy left on the 



422 THE CORSICAN [1814 

field. All this was effected with only one half of the Old 
Guard engaged. I am writing to the Empress to have a 
salute of 60 guns fired. Our loss is slight. The infantry 
of my Guard, my dragoons, my horse grenadiers, did 
wonders. 

12th. The enemy have crossed the Marne at Chdteau- 
Thierry and burned the bridge. The Old Guard surpassed 
by a great deal all that could be expected of a picked 
body. It really was the Head of Medusa! 

13th. I cannot believe that Prince Schwarzenberg will 
run his head into Fontainebleau while we retain control 
of the bridge at Nogent; the Austrians are too well ac- 
quainted with my manner of operating, and have carried 
its marks for too many years; they must surely realize 
that if they leave us in possession of the bridge at No- 
gent I shall debouch on their rear, in the same way as 
I have at this point. 

I am not yet clear as to my move for to-day. I tremble 
at the thought that these miserable Russians may set 
fire to Fontainebleau by way of reprisals. 

Chateau-Thierry : 

The conduct of the King of Naples is vile, and that of 
the Queen defies description. I hope to live long enough 
to avenge myself and to avenge France for such an out- 
rage and such horrible ingratitude. 

(To Caulaincourt.) As the King of Naples has declared 
war on me, you will kindly notify the Neapolitan Ambas- 
sador that he is to (juit Paris within '24 hours, and the 
territory of tiic Empire as promptly as possible. 

14th. It is three o'clock in the morning and I am start- 



^T.44] A DIARY* 423 

ing for Montmirail, thence to attack Bliicher, who has 
debouched. 

Montmirail : 

I left Chateau-Thierry at three this morning, and 
reached Montmirail just as the enemy were arriving at 
its gates. I marched straight on the enemy, who formed 
line near the village of Vauchamps. I defeated them, 
took 8000 prisoners, 3 guns, and 10 flags, and drove them 
to Etoges. I did not lose 300 killed and wounded. This 
splendid result was due to the fact that the enemy had 
no cavalry, while I had 6000 or 8000 excellent horse, with 
which I constantly menaced them and outflanked them, 
while all the time I crushed them with grape from 100 
guns. 

15th, 3 A.M.: 

I shall start at the earliest dawn and shall reach La 
Ferte-sous-Jouarre with my Guard quite early. 

4 a.m.: 

I am moving on Meaux to operate against the Aus- 
trians who have crossed the Seine at Bray and No- 
gent. 

La Ferte-sous-Jouarre: 

We shall probably have a great battle with the Aus- 
trians on the 17th, 18th, or 19th in the neighbourhood of 
Guignes. I shall get to Meaux with the cavalry of the 
Guard early this evening. I am not sure that the in- 
fantry of the Guard can get there, but I hope it will at 
all events get beyond La Ferte. 

16th, Meaux, 8 a.m.: 

I am starting for Guignes, and shall attack the enemy 
to-morrow. 



424 THE CORSICAN [i8i4 

Guignes: 

I arrived here at three in the afternoon. We are going 
into camp this evening so as to reach Nangis to-morrow 
at dawn. 

17th, Nangis, 3 p.m.: 

The whole of the enemy's Grand Army, Austrians 
and Russians, Bavarians and Wiirtembergers, are re- 
crossing the Seine in all directions with the utmost haste. 
To-night there probably will not be a single man left on 
this side. But I shall have to lose precious time in re- 
pairing the bridge at Montereau. 

(To Caulaincourt, Duke of Vicenza.) I had given you 
a free hand to save Paris, and to avoid us a battle which 
would be the nation's last hope. That battle has been 
fought; Providence blessed our arms. I have made 30,000 
or 40,000 prisoners; I have captured 200 guns, many 
generals, and destroyed several armies. Yesterday I be- 
gan to cut into the army of Prince Schwarzenberg, and I 
hope to destroy it before it recrosses our frontiers. Your 
atitude must correspond with all this; you must try 
your best for peace; but you are to sign nothing with- 
out my orders, because I alone know my real situation. 
I am certainly in a stronger position than when the Allies 
were at Frankfort. To-day all is changed; I have won 
tremendous successes over them, and such victories as are 
unmatched in a not undistinguished military career of 
twenty years. 

18th. (To Berthicr.) Convey my displeasure to the 
Duke of Bclluno at his not having carried out the order 
that directed him to proceed to Montereau. He must 
explain the reasons why he did not carry out this order, 



iET. 44] A DIARY 425 

a thing that puts in jeopardy the success of the whole 
campaign. Write him a stiff letter. 

At last Prince Schwarzenberg shows signs of life. He 
has sent in an officer to ask for an armistice. It would 
not be easy to match such cowardice ! He had constantly 
refused, in the most insulting terms, to discuss any sus- 
pension of hostilities. The hounds ! — at the first reverse, 
they are on their knees! Happily the aide-de-camp of 
Prince Schwarzenberg was not allowed to pass (the out- 
posts). I merely received his letter, which I shall answer 
at my convenience. I shall grant them no armistice till 
my soil is purged of their presence. 

(To Count Tascher de la Pagerie.) Tascher, start back 
for Italy to-night; you may stay over in Paris long enough 
to see your wife but without communicating with any- 
body. You will tell Eugene that I defeated the best troops 
of the coalition at Champaubert and at Montmirail; that 
Schwarzenberg has sent me an aide-de-camp to-night 
asking for an armistice; which does not take me in, for it 
is only to trick me and gain time. You will tell him that 
had Marshal Victor carried out his orders precisely, by 
moving from Melun to Montereau yesterday, the Bava- 
rian and Wurtemberger corps would have been surprised 
and caught at a disadvantage, and then having only the 
Austrians, who are poor soldiers, in his front, he would 
have driven them before him by cracking a whip in their 
backs; but that as nothing of what was ordered was done 
we shall have to attempt something else. 

Tell Eugene I am pleased with him, that he may an- 
nounce to the army of Italy that I am satisfied with it; 



426 THE CORSICAN [1814 

have him fire a salute of 100 guns in honour of the victo- 
ries of Champaubert and of Montniirail. 

19th, Surville: ♦ 

Yesterday I routed two reserve divisions of the Aus- 
trian general Bianchi and the Wiirtembergers; they lost 
heavily. We took several flags and 3000 or 4000 pris- 
oners. And, which is most important, I had the good 
luck to carry the bridge before they could destroy it. I 
have dismissed the Duke of Belluno, dissatisfied with his 
excessive slowness and negligence. 

(To Caulaincourt.) I am so moved at the sight of the in- 
famous proposal that you send me, that I feel dishonoured 
at merely being in such a position that such a proposal 
can be made. I will send you my instructions from Troyes 
or Chatillon; but I think I had almost sooner lose Paris 
than see such propositions made to the French people. 
You are always talking about the Bourbons, — I had 
sooner see the Bourbons back in France, with reasonable 
conditions, than such infamous proposals as you have 
transmitted ! 

(To Savary.) The newspapers are stupidly written. 
Is it sensible, at such a moment as this, to say that I had 
small numbers, that I won only because I surprised the 
enemy, and that we had three to one against us ? You 
must have lost your heads in Paris to say such things, 
while I am saying everyw^here that I have 300,000 men, 
while the enemy believes it, and it is essential to keep on 
repeating it continually. 

It has taken us all day to get through this wretched 
defile of Montereau. It is snowing, and the weather is 
rather rough. 



iET.44] A DIARY 427 

20th. Since their defeat at Monte reau the enemy- 
have evacuated Bray and Nogent, and are hastily re- 
treating on Troyes. What are their intentions ? Do they 
intend to call in Bliicher and offer battle at Troyes ? 

Montereau: 

(To General Clarke.) I send you four flags; two should 
have come in with the prisoners, which makes six. There 
are four more Russian ones which we can't find; but by 
fair count we had ten. You can present them to the Em- 
press. We will try to find the four missing Russian ones, 
but if we can't find them in time, replace them by four 
other Russian flags. It would be a good thing to have 
a parade of the National Guard, and to carry the flags 
along their front, with the band. 

Nogent : 

I have just reached Nogent. The enemy are in great 
luck because the heavy frost has enabled them to cut 
across country; they would otherwise have lost half their 
baggage and artillery. 

21st. (To Marshal Augereau, at Lyons.) My Cousin: 
The Minister of War has submitted your letter of the 
16th to me. This letter grieves me profoundly. What! 
Were you not in the field six hours after being joined by 
the first troops coming from Spain ? Six hours' rest was 
enough. I won the engagement at Nangis with a bri- 
gade of dragoons coming from Spain, which had not un- 
bridled all the way from Bayonne. You say that the six 
battalions of the Nimes division are deficient in uniforms 
and equipment, and don't know their drill; what a poor 
reason is that, Augereau ! I have destroyed 80,000 of the 
enemy with battalions made up of conscripts, with no 



428 THE CORSICxVN [isu 

cartridge-boxes and badly clothed! You say that the 
National Guards are wretched: I have 4000 of them here 
coming from Angers and Brittany, in round hats, with 
no cartridge-boxes, with wooden shoes, but with good 
muskets; and I have turned them to good use. You go 
on to say that you have no money: and where do you 
expect to draw money from ? We shall get some only 
when we recapture our tax-collecting offices from the 
enemy. You have no teams: seize them everywhere. 
You have no magazines: this is ridiculous. I order you 
to get into the field twelve hours after the receipt of this 
dispatch. If you are still the Augereau of Castiglione, 
keep your command; if your sixty years weigh too heavily 
on you, quit it, and hand it over to your senior general 
officer. The country is threatened and in danger; it can 
only be saved by boldness and zeal, and not by useless 
middle courses. You must have 6000 good troops as a 
starting-point: that is more than I have, and yet I have 
destroyed three armies, made 40,000 prisoners, captured 
200 guns^ and three times saved the capital. Get to the 
front with your firing-line. It is no longer a case for act- 
ing as in recent years, but you must again put on your 
boots and your resolution of '03! \Mien the French see 
your cocked hat with the skirmishers, and see you ex- 
posing yovirself foremost to the enemy's fire, you can do 
what you like with them. 

(To Francis I, Emperor of Austria.) Monsieur man 
Frcre et trh chcr Bcan-Pcrc : I did what I could to avoid 
the battle that has just been fought. Fortune has smiled 
on me: I have destroyed the Russian and Prussian army 
commanded by General Blucher, and later the Prussian 



-ET.44] A DIARY 429 

one commanded by General Kleist. In this state of things, 
whatever prejudices may prevail at your headquarters, 
my army outnumbers that of Your Majesty, in foot, ia 
horse, and in guns, and if the acceptance of this fact 
should be a prerequisite for Your Majesty's decision, I 
have no doubt but that I can demonstrate it to the satis- 
faction of men of such sound judgment as Prince Schwar- 
zenberg, Count Bubna, or Prince Metternich. I think it 
my duty to write to Your Majesty because this struggle 
between a French army and an army that is principally 
Austrian appears contrary to the interests of both coun- 
tries. Should Fortune deceive my hopes, the position 
of Your Majesty would be still more difficult. 

I therefore propose to Your Majesty that we should 
sign a peace immediately, on the basis laid down by 
Your Majesty at Frankfort, which I and the French na- 
tion have accepted as our ultimatum. I say more, these 
bases alone can maintain the European equilibrium. 
Should Your Majesty persist in subordinating (Aus- 
trian) interests to those of England and to the rancour 
of Russia, and be unwilling to lay down arms on any 
terms but the disastrous ones proposed at the Con- 
gress, the genius of France and of Providence will be 
for us. 

24th, Bourg des Noes: 

(To Montalivet.) I have your letter. If the French 
people were as contemptible as you imagine, I would 
blush with shame. You and the Minister of Police know 
no more of France than I do of China. You discourage 
the King by evoking exaggerated pictures which his char- 
acter is only too prone to accept. 



430 THE CORSICANj [1814 

25th, Troyes : 

As soon as I can make out what BlUcher is up to, I 
shall try to get in his rear and cut him off. 

26th. If I had had a train of ten pontoons, the war 
would now be over, and the army of Prince Schwarzen- 
berg would no longer exist; I would have captured eight 
to ten thousand wagons and beaten his army in detail. 
But I was unable to cross the Seine for lack of boats. 

Bliicher is moving towards Sezanne, a few cannon-shots 
were exchanged last night. The Prince of the Moskowa 
crossed the Aube at Arcis this morning to fall on Bliicher 's 
rear. 

27th. I am starting for Arcis to manoeuvre against 
the troops that are advancing towards La Ferte Gaucher. 

(To the King of Naples.) I shall not speak of my dis- 
pleasure at your conduct, which was precisely opposite 
to what it should have been. It all comes from your 
weak disposition. You are a good soldier on the battle- 
field, but otherwise you have no decision, no courage. 
Turn to advantage an act of treachery which I put down 
to fear, so as to serve me by a mutual understanding. 
I rely on you, on your repentance, on your promises. 
If you act otherwise, you may count on having to regret 
it. I imagine you are not one of those who believe the 
lion is dead.^ 

Arcis-sur-Aube: 

(To King Joseph.) I shall sleep at Herbisse. I shall be 
at Fere Champenoise to-morrow morning at nine. 

I have received the engravings of the Kinu: of Rome. 

' This letter is wron^jly diiti-d .Tiin. 20, ISIH, in the Correspondence. 
Sec Johnston, Napoleonic Empire, vol. ii, p. 1 16. 



MT.u] A DIARY 431 

Please substitute for the legend: "God guard my father 
and France," this one: "I pray to God for my father and 
for France." It is more direct. I also wish you to have 
some copies made showing the King in the uniform of 
the National Guard, 

March 1st, Jouarre: 

The enemy have crossed back to the right bank of 
the Marne, but I got up in time to cannonade their rear- 
guard. To-morrow I must see what we can do. I have 
no information yet as to where they are moving. 

^2d. I have been held up here for many hours because 
of the difficulty of repairing the bridge. 

7 p. M. : 

Our bridge will be finished at nine. By midnight I 
shall have got 6000 cavalry over, and pushed them on 
after the enemy. The country people say that their trans- 
port is in difficulties in the marshes of Cocherel; that the 
enemy's army is in such a state that men weep and throw 
their muskets away in despair. I hope we may have a 
good day to-morrow. 

4th, Bezu: 

(To General Clarke.) I have crossed the Marne; I 
moved to Chateau-Thierry; I pushed my advance guard 
as far as Rocourt, and I have come (here) to sleep. 

You forward me letters of Marmont that tell me no- 
thing; the excessive vanity of this marshal stands out 
in all his dispatches; nobody values him highly enough; 
it is he has done everything, has advised everything; it 
is regrettable that with his talents he can't get rid of this 
foolish side, or at all events keep it sufficiently under 
control and out of sight. 



432 THE CORSICAN [1814 

Bliicher appears to be extremely embarassed and con- 
stantly changes direction. I hope this will lead to some 
good result. 

5th, Fismes: 

I supposed that the Duke of Ragusa had reached Sois- 
sons yesterday; but the commandant was vile enough 
to evacuate without firing a shot. He evacuated with all 
his men with the honours of war and four guns. I am 
sending orders to the Minister of War to have him ar- 
rested, tried by a court-martial, and shot. He must be 
shot in the middle of the Place de Greve, and the execution 
must be made a conspicuous event. Five generals can be 
appointed to try him. Without any doubt the enemy's 
army was lost and would have been destroyed. As it is, I 
shall have to manoeuvre and lose much time throwing 
bridges. 

Berry-au-bac, 4 ^ ^- •' 

Wlntzingerode's corps tried to prevent our crossing, 
but, on our infantry appearing, only Cossacks and Bask- 
irs remained to face us. We charged across the hand- 
some bridge over the river Aisne. 

6th. To-day I am marching on Laon to drive away 
the troops of the Crown Prince of Sweden and of Bliicher, 
on which we are daily inflicting serious losses. 

71 h, Craonne: 

I have defeated Winl/.ingcrode, Langeron, Voronzof, 
together with the remains of SackoTi. I lia\'e taken "iOOO 
prisoners, some cannon, and drivtMi tlicm from Craonne 
to the An(ic (lardicn. Craonne is a glorious success. The 
Duke of Bclluno and General Grouchy were wounded. 

My advance guard is ncaring Laon. 



iET.44] A DIARY ' 433 

9th. Battle of Laon. Retreat towards Soissons. 

10th, Chavignon: 

(To King Joseph.) The army I defeated at Craonne was 
the Russian army commanded by Sacken, with that of 
Wintzingerode. They lost heavily and retired to Laon, 
where they joined the corps of Billow, of York, and of 
Kleist, of the Prussian army. As their position at Laon 
was very strong, I confined myself yesterday to reconnoi- 
tring it. The Duke of Ragusa, who was marching on Laon 
from Berry-au-bac, got near to the city, his soldiers lost 
their heads, and he had to retire in some disorder for 
several leagues, abandoning a few of his guns. This is 
only an incident of warfare, but a very unfortunate one 
to occur at a moment when I needed a little luck. This 
event had made me decide not to attack to-day. 

11th. I have decided to fall back on Soissons. The 
Young Guard is melting away like snow. The Old Guard 
keeps up. The cavalry of the Guard also melts away fast. 

12th, Soissons: 

(To the Prince of Neuchatel.) Write to the Duke of 
Ragusa that I have no idea of what his corps represents 
at this moment. 

(To King Joseph.) I regret to see that you have spoken 
to my wife about the Bourbons, and the difficulties the 
Emperor of Austria might raise. I must beg you to avoid 
such conversations. I do not wish to be protected by my 
wife. Such an idea would spoil her and lead to a quarrel. 
What is the good of talking to her that way ? Never, 
in four years, have the words Bourbon or Austria issued 
from my lips. In any case, all this can only trouble her 
sleep and spoil her excellent temper. 



434 THE CORSICAN [isu 

You always write as though peace depended on me, 
and yet I have sent you the documents. If the Parisians 
want to see the Cossacks they will repent, and yet the 
truth must be told. I have never sought the applause of 
the Parisians; I am not an operatic performer. 

(To Prince Eugene.) I inclose you a copy of a very 
extraordinary letter I have received from the King of 
Naples. Such sentiments are inconceivable at a moment 
when I, when France, are being assassinated. Send an 
agent to this extraordinary traitor and sign a treaty with 
him in my name. You can do what you think best for this 
purpose; nothing must be omitted in the actual situation 
that may bring the Neapolitans into line. Afterv.ards we 
can do as we please, for after such ingratitude and in such 
circumstances nothing is binding. To embarass him I 
have given orders to have the Pope sent to his outposts, 
through Parma and Piacenza. 

Midnight : 

I am starting with the Old Guard. 

14th, Reims: 

I arrived at Reims yesterday. I recaptured the city, 
took twenty guns, much transport, and 5000 prisoners. 

(To Savary.) You send me no news of what is going on 
in Paris. A Regency is being discussed, an address, and 
a thousand foolish and ridiculous intrigues that proceed 
at best from the brain of a fool like INIiot. These peo- 
ple have forgotten that I cut Gonlian knots after the 
fashion of Alexander. Tlicy had bettor remomlx'r lliat 
I am to-day the same man thai I was at Wagram and 
at Auslerlitz; that I will permit no intrigues in the State; 
that there is no authority but mine, and that in the case 



iET. 44] A DIARY 435 

of urgent events it is the (Empress) Regent in whom my 
trust reposes. 

(To Joseph.) I have received your letter of the 12th 
of March. The National Guard of Paris is a part of the 
people of France, and so long as I live I intend to be 
master everywhere in France. Your character and mine 
are opposite ; you like to cajole people and to follow their 
opinions. I prefer to be cajoled and to have my views 
followed. To-day as at Austerlitz, I am the master. I 
imagine that they can perceive the difference between 
the time of Lafayette when the mob was sovereign and 
to-day when it is I. 

16th. (To King Joseph.) I am going to manoeuvre in 
such a way that you may be several days without news 
from me. Should the enemy advance on Paris with forces 
so large as to make resistance impossible, send the Regent 
(and) my son in the direction of the Loire. Don't leave 
my son's side, and remember that I would sooner know 
him in the Seine than in the hands of the enemies of 
France. The fate of Astyanax as prisoner of the Greeks 
has always seemed to me the most unhappy in history. 

17th. There are three possible courses: 

One is to march on Arcis, thirteen leagues; we could 
get there to-morrow, the 18th ; this is the boldest and the 
result is incalculable; 

To move on Sezanne; 

The third would be to march straight on Meaux by 
the highroad. The third is the safest because it takes us 
rapidly towards Paris, but is also the one that has no 
moral effect, and leaves everything to the chance of a 
great battle. But, if the enemy have 70,000, or 80,000 



436 THE CORSICAN [1814 

men, such a battle would be a fearful risk, while if we 
move towards Troyes and strike in at their rear, while the 
Duke of Taranto retreats disputing every position, we 
may stand a much better chance. 

Epernay : 

To-morrow before dawn I shall start for Arcis-sur- 
Aube; I shall be there day after to-morrow at noon, to 
strike the enemy's rear. 

20th, Plancy: 

I crossed the Aube yesterday. I then moved straight 
on Mery. I attacked the town and occupied it at 7 p. m. 
The Emperor Alexander was at Arcy on the 18th. He 
only staid an hour; we were nearly face to face. 

(To Berthier.) Write at once to the Duke of Taranto 
to move everything on Arcis, even General Gerard, even 
the National Guards. 

During the fight at Arcis-sur-Aube I did all I could 
to meet with a glorious end defending the soil of our 
country inch by inch. I exposed myself continuously. 
Bullets rained all around me; my clothes were full of 
thcin; but not one touched me. I am condemned to live! 

23d, Chateau du Plessis: 

(To Berthier.) Send a gendarme in disguise to Metz, 
send another one to Nancy, and one to Bar, with letters 
for the mayors. Inform them that we are operating 
against the enemy's comnuuiications, that the moment 
has come for a levy en masse, to ring the tocsin, to arrest 
every whore the enemy's officers and commissaries, to at- 
tack the convoys, to seize the magazines and reserves of 
the enemy; let them immediately publish this order in 



^T.44] A DIARY 437 

every parish of the 2d and 4th military divisions. Write 
to the governor of Metz to concentrate the garrisons 
and to march so as to meet us on the Meuse. 

31st. Capitulation of Paris. 

Le Cour de France: 

We order the Duke of Vicenza, our Grand Equerry and 
Minister of Foreign Affairs, to see the Allied Sovereigns 
and the Commander-in-chief of their armies, to recom- 
mend to them our good subjects in our capital. 

We invest him by these presents with full powers to 
negotiate and conclude peace, pledging ourselves to 
ratify whatever he may effect for the good of our service. 

21st, Fontainebleau: 

(To Berthier.) The Duke of Ragusa will form the ad- 
vance guard, and will concentrate his troops at Essonne. 
The Duke of Treviso's corps will take position between 
Essonne and Fontainebleau. Write to the Prefect of 
Orleans to give him the bad news of the occupation of 
Paris by the enemy, which my arrival would have pre- 
vented had they delayed another three hours. 

Remind the Minister of the Interior to enforce the 
levy en masse everywhere so as to fill up our battalions. 

April 1st. The Old Guard with its artillery and the 
reserve batteries will take position to-morrow at the 
debouch^ of the forest. 

3d. OflScers, non-commissioned officers, and men of 
the Old Guard: The enemy have stolen three marches 
on us, and have entered Paris. I offered the Emperor 
Alexander a peace that cost me great sacrifices. He not 
only refused, but he did more : at the perfidious suggestion 
of those emigres whose lives I had spared and on whom 



438 THE CORSICAN [1814 

I had showered favours, he has authorized them to wear 
the white cockade, and soon he will try to substitute it 
for our national cockade. In a few days I shall attack 
him in Paris. I count on you . . . 

(A pause; silence.) 

Am I right ? 

(Vive I'Empereur! Vive I'Empereur! To Paris! To 
Paris!) 

We will go and prove to them that the French nation 
is mistress of her own soil; that if we have long been 
masters among others, we will always be so here, and 
that we are able to defend our colours, our independence, 
and the integrity of our country. Communicate what I 
have said to your men. 

4th. (To Berthier.) Order the Dukes of Ragusa, of 
Treviso, of Reggio, of Conegliano, to report at the palace 
to-night at ten, and to arrange so as to be back at their 
posts before dawn. 

(Declaration.) The allied Powers having announced 
that the Emperor Napoleon is the sole obstacle to the 
reestablishment of peace in Europe, the Emperor Napo- 
leon, mindful of his engagements, declares that he is 
ready to descend from the throne, to give up France and 
even life itself for the good of the country, inseparable 
from the rights of his son, those of the regency of the 
Empress, and the maintenance of the laws of the Em- 
pire. 

Done in our palace of Fontainebloau the 4th of April, 
1814. 

5th. (To Ik'rlhier.) Order CuMieral TroUiartl, who is near 
Nemours, to march to-morrow towards Pilhiviers. Tell 



^T.44] A DIARY ► 439 

him that we shall move through Malesherbes on Pithiviers. 
He could join us if we had to fight. 

Order General Friant to start^to-morrow morning at 
six for Malesherbes with the division of the Old Guard. 

The artillery will follow immediately after the Old 
Guard. 

10th. I cast about for an uncomfortable corner of earth, 
where I might profit by the errors that would certainly 
be made. I pitched on the island of Elba. It was the 
choice of a soul of adamant. My character is certainly 
curious, but a man cannot be extraordinary without being 
unlike others; I am a fragment of rock hurled into space. 

11th. The Emperor Napoleon renounces for himself, 
his heirs and successors, all right of sovereignty over 
the French Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, and all other 
countries. 

The island of Elba, chosen as his abode by the Emperor 
Napoleon, shall, during his lifetime, be an independent 
principality. 

The French Imperial Guard shall furnish a detach- 
ment of 1200 to 1500 men to serve as an escort. H. M. 
the Emperor Napoleon may keep for his own guard 400 
men who shall volunteer for this service. 

13th. Providence has decreed it, — I shall live! Who 
can fathom the future ? In any case, my wife and my son 
will be enough for me. • 

16th. (To Countess Walewska.) Marie, I have re- 
ceived your letter of the 15th. I am profoundly touched 
by the sentiments you express, they are worthy of your 
noble spirit. If you go to the baths of Lucca I would be 
very glad indeed to see you and your son. Never doubt me. 



440 THE CORSICAN [1814 

19th. (To the Empress Maria Louisa.) My good Louise, 
I have received your letter; I understand all the grief 
there is in it, and it iijcreases my own. I am glad to see 
that Corvisart encourages you. I am very grateful to 
him for it; his noble conduct justifies the high opinion I 
had of him. Please tell him so from me. Have him send 
me little bulletins about you at frequent intervals. Try 
to goat once to the baths of Aix, which I am told Corvi- 
sart recommends for you. Keep well ; preserve your health 
for your son, w^ho needs your care. I am starting for 
the island of Elba, and will write to you from there. I 
will get everything ready to receive you. Write to me fre- 
quently. Address your letters to the Viceroy and to your 
uncle, if, as it is said, he is to be Grand Duke of Tuscany. 

20th. (Farewell to the Guard.) Soldiers of my Old 
Guard, I have come to say good-bye. During twenty 
years I have always met you on the path of honour 
and of glory. In these last as in prosperous days you 
have never ceased to be the pattern of courage and of 
loyalty. With men like you our cause was not lost. 
But the war was interminable; it would have meant 
civil war, and France would have been even more un- 
happy. I therefore sacrificed all our interests to those 
of the country I am leaving. You, my friends, must 
continue to serve France. Her happiness was my only 
thought; it will always be the object of my hopes! Do 
not i)ity my fate; if I have consented to survive it is 
still to work for your fame; I mean to wrilo down those 
great things that we have done together! Good-bye, my 
children! I wish I could press you all lo my heart; let 
me at all events embrace your standard! — Good-bye 



^T.44] A DIARY 441 

once more, old comrades! May this last embrace pass 
into your hearts! 

21st, Briare: 

Well! You heard my speech to the Old Guard yester- 
day, you saw the effect it produced ? That is the way to 
talk to them! 

24th, Valence: 

(To Augereau.) Where are you off to like that ? You 
are going to the Court ? Your proclamation is stupid 
enough: why insult me ? 

27th, Frejus: 

(To General Dalesme.) Circumstances having brought 
me to renounce the French throne, I have reserved for 
myself the sovereignty and ownership of the island of 
Elba, to which all the Powers have consented. I am there- 
fore sending you General Drouot so that you may im- 
mediately hand over to him the said island, the stores of 
food and ammunition, and the property appertaining to 
my Imperial domains. Please notify this new state of 
things to the inhabitants, and my selection of their island 
for my abode because of their good disposition and the 
excellence of their climate. They will be the constant 
object of my solicitude. 

28th, on board H. M. S. Undaunted : 

The Bourbons — poor devils — are glad to get back 
their palaces and their estates, but if the French people 
become dissatisfied and think that their manufactures are 
not being looked after, they will be driven out within 
six months. 

May 3d, Porto Ferrajo, island of Elba: 

Well ! this is a fine abode for me ! - 



442 THE CORSICAN [1814 

5th. It will be an island of rest! 

7th. (Orders for General Count Drouot.) Find out 
from the sub-prefect what is the system of administra- 
tion. 

Have the flag of the island hoisted in every parish to- 
morrow, and turn this into some sort of a festival. 

I think that the governor should communicate a note, 
stating that my flag has been hoisted, to the governments 
of Naples, Rome, Tuscany, and Genoa. 

Convene the sub-prefect, the navy commissioner, the 
chief registrar, the war commissary, the collector of reve- 
nue, and other persons who can give me information on 
the administration of the island, to a council to-morrow. 

Inform the intendant of my dissatisfaction at the dirty 
state of the streets. 

9th. Eh! My island is none too big! 

29th. Death of Josephine at Malmaison. 

July 11th. (To Count Bertrand.) Ask Cardinal Fesch 
whom I could appoint consul at Civita-Vecchia. That 
port, Leghorn, and Genoa are the most important points. 

17th. (Note for the Grand Marshal.) ^Yrite to my 
brother Lucien that I have his letter of the 11th of 
June; that I am touched by the sentiments he expresses; 
that he must not be surprised at my not answering, as 
I write to no one. I have not even written to Madame 
(Mere). 

24th. (To Count Bertrand.) Order the Abeille, if the 
woalher is fine, to start to-night for Civita-Vecchia. 
She will carry letters for the consul at Naples and for 
Cardinal Fesch. Instruct the Abeille not to remain more 
than two or three days at Civita-Vecchia and to get all 



2ET. 44-45] A DIARY 443 

the information possible about the journey of Madame 
and of Princess Pauline. 

August 2. (Note for General Bertrand.) As I am 
not at present well enough established for entertaining 
I shall wait for the arrival of the Empress or of Princess 
Pauline, which should be early in September, for having 
the fireworks. I want the town to give a ball at its 
own expense on the public square in which a wooden 
booth can be erected, and to invite the officers of the 
Guard. Outside the booth there should be music for the 
soldiers to dance to, and there must be a few barrels of 
wine so that they may have something to drink. I 
also want the town to marry two young people and set 
them up. The Grand Marshal and officials will witness 
the marriage, which is to take place at High Mass. 

9th. (To Bertrand.) Colonel Leczinski, who is leaving 
to-day, will carry a letter from me to the Empress at 
Aix. Write to Meneval to tell him that I expect the Em- 
press at the end of August; that I want her to bring my 
son, and that it is curious I don't hear from her, which 
must arise from her letters being intercepted. 

26th. (To Bertrand.) I believe I have told you to ask 
Princess Pauline not to bring the pianist, but only two 
good singers, as we have a good violinist and a good 
pianist here. 

One of my mules has just been drowned, which is a 
considerable loss, and arises from there not being a small 
pump at the stable. Have one put in. 

28th. I have news from the Empress to the 10th of 
August. She is to write care of M. Senno and will send her 
letters to Genoa under cover to M. Constantin Gatelli. 



444 THE CORSICAN [18h 

September Qd. (To Bertrand.) Write to Princess Pauline 
to say that I have received all the letters from Naples; 
tell her that I am annoyed at having had letters sent me 
through Stahremberg unsealed, as though I were a pris- 
oner and he my gaoler; I think this way of doing things 
is offensive and absurd, and insulting both to me and 
to them. 

9th. I have received a most sentimental letter from 
the King of Naples; he declares that he has already writ- 
ten several times, but I doubt it. It appears that the 
French and Italian questions are disturbing him, and 
making him amiable. 

20th. My wife no longer writes to me. My son is 
snatched away from me. No such barbarous act is re- 
corded in modern times. 

30th. Tlie Congress of Vienna assembles. 

October 10th. (To Ferdinand, Grand Duke of Tus- 
cany.) Monsieur mon Frcre et ires cher Oncle : Having 
received no news from my wife since the 10th of August, 
nor from my son for six months, I have intrusted this 
letter to Cavaliere Colonna. I beg Your Royal Highness 
to let me know whether I may send a letter to the Em- 
press once a week, and receive in return her news and a 
letter from the Countess of Montesquioii, the governess 
of my son. I flatter myself that in spite of events that 
have so changed many persons, Your Royal Highness 
still retains some degree of friendship for me. 

November 14th. Any news of the Congress ? Do you 
think they have it in niind lo exile me ? I will never j)er- 
mit them to carry me olf. 

December 11th. (To Count Drouot.) Take great cure 



iET.45] A DIARY/ 445 

to have the discharges of the grenadiers who are leaving 
and who are good men, drawn up in their favour. You 
must state that the discharge is granted on the orders of 
General Drouot, because the situation of the families 
of these men demands their presence, and that it is with 
regret the battalion loses the services of such good sol- 
diers. Their services, battles, and wounds shall be set 
out, in fact everything that can testify to my satisfaction 
with brave men who have given me so many marks of 
their devotion. 

Have a proof of the discharge printed. Place my arms 
in the middle; strike out the expression Sovereign of Elba, 
which is ridiculous, and see that the form is known in 
the Guard, so that it may realize how it is honoured when 
my grenadiers get leave of absence. 



1815 

January 1st, Elba: 

Well, old grumbler, are you getting tired of it? 

(No, sire, but it's not very exciting!) 

You are wrong. You should take things as they come. 
It won't last forever! 

2d. (To Drouot.) Order the ^6c?7/e to take in supplies 
for a week this evening. Eight sailors of the Guard are 
to go on board, so as to cruise to-morrow off Cape St. 
Andre and observe the movements of the French ships 
that appear to be cruising around the island. The cap- 
tain in command of the Abeille will have an additional 
100 francs a month until he can be given a larger ship. 
Get him a good glass if he hasn't one. 

3d. (Note.) On Sunday there will be a ball in the 
large reception room. The invitations must cover the 
whole island, though they must not include more Ihan 
200 persons. There must be refreshments, but no ices 
because of the difficulty of getting them. The whole 
must not cost more than 1000 francs. 

On Sunday the 15th the Academy might inaugurate 
its theatre and give a masked ball. On the 22d I may 
give another ball. On the 2!)th there might be a second 
masked ball at the theatre. 

February IGth. (To General Drouot.) Order the brig 
into port to be careened and have its copper bottom 
overhauled, and its leaks stopped, and generally put 



iET.45] A DIARY 447 

into seaworthy condition. Have it painted like the Eng- 
lish brigs. I want it in the bay and ready, as I have said, 
by the 24 th or 25th of this month. 

Order M. Pons to charter two large-sized vessels for a 
month, brigs or xebecs of more than 90 tons. 

18th. Drouot, all France regrets me and wants me. 
In a few days I shall leave the island. 

24th. Ah! France! France! 

26th. I am leaving the island of Elba. 

Twenty -four hours before weighing anchor only Ber- 
trand and Drouot knew the secret. 

28th, at sea: 

I shall reach Paris without firing a shot. 

March 1st, Golfe Jouan: 

(To the army.) Soldiers! we were not defeated! 

Soldiers! In my exile I have heard your voice. I have 
come to you through every obstacle, every danger. Your 
general, called to the throne by the voice of the people 
and raised on your bucklers, is back among you; come to 
him ! Pluck off the colours that the nation has proscribed, 
and that, for twenty-five years, were the rallying point 
of all the enemies of France. Put on the tricolour cockade; 
you wore it in our great days. Here are the eagles you 
had at Ulm, at Austerlitz, at Jena, at Eylau, at Friedland, 
at Tudela, at Eckmiihl, at Essling, at Wagram, at Smo- 
lensk, at the Moskowa, at Liitzen, at Wurschen, at Mont- 
mirail ! Do you believe that the little handful of French- 
men who are so arrogant to-day can support their sight ? 
They will return whence they came; there let them reign 



448 THE CORSICAN [1815 

as they pretend that they did reign these last nineteen 
years. 

Soldiers, rally around the standard of your chief! Vic- 
tory will advance at the double! The Eagle, with the 
national colours, will fly from steeple to steeple to the 
towers of Notre Dame. Then will you be able to display 
your honourable scars. Then will you be able to claim the 
credit of your deeds, as the liberators of your country. 
In your old age, surrounded and honoured by your fellow- 
citizens, all will respectfully listen while you narrate your 
great deeds; you will be able to say with pride: "And I 
also was one of that Grand Army that twice entered the 
walls of Vienna, of Rome, of Berlin, of Mddrid, of Moscow, 
and that cleansed Paris from the stain left on it by trea- 
son and the presence of the enemy!" 

6th, Gap: 

Citizens, I am deeply touched by your demonstrations. 
Your hopes will be fulfilled; the nation's cause will triumph 
once more. You are right to call me your Father; I live 
only for the honour and for the happiness of France. My 
return dispels all your anxieties, guarantees your pro- 
perty. To-day equality among all classes, and the rights 
you enjoyed for twenty-five years and that our fathers 
so longed for, become once more a part of your existence. 

9th, Grenoble: 

Citizens, when in my exile I learned all the misfor- 
tunes that weighed on the nation, that the rights of the 
people were trampled on, and that I was rci)roa(hcd for 
my inactivity, I lost not a moment, I embarked on a frail 
vessel, I crossed the sea amid the warships of various na- 
tions, I landed on the soil of the fatherland, and I thought 



iET. 45] A DIARY 449 

of nothing but of flashing with the rapidity of the eagle 
to this good city of Grenoble, of which I knew the strong 
patriotism and devotion to me. 

Men of Dauphine, you have fulfilled all my hopes! 

11th, Lyons: 

The old soldiers came at the head of the inhabitants 
of their villages and assured them that I really was 
Bonaparte. Peasants pulled from their pockets 5 franc 
pieces with my eflSgy, and said: "Yes, that's the man!" 

(To Maria Louisa, Empress of the French, at Schoen- 
brunn.) Madame et chere amie, I have reascended my 
throne. 

12th. (To Marshal Ney.) My Cousin: My chief of staff 
is sending you marching orders. I feel sure that on hear- 
ing I was in possession of Lyons you made your soldiers 
go back to the tricolour flag. Carry out Bertrand's or- 
ders and join me at Chalons. I shall receive you as I did 
the day after the battle of the Moskowa. 

21st, Paris: 

(To Fouche.) According to first information the King 
is in the neighbourhood of the Somme. Try to get news 
about this matter. 

(To Marshal Davout.) Order the Count de Lobau to 
assume command of the 1st military division and of 
all the troops there. If there are bad colonels with the 
Paris troops, put proposals before me for replacing them. 

Communicate by semaphore in the course of the 
niorning my arrival in Paris, and your appointment as 
Minister of War. 

26th. Princes are the first citizens of a State. Their 



c 



450 THE CORSICAN [1815 

power is more or less extensive as the nations they gov- 
ern decide. Sovereignty is hereditary only because that 
is the interest of the people. Apart from this doctrine 
I do not recognise legitimity. 

I have given up the idea of the Grand Empire, of which, 
in fifteen years, I had only laid the foundations. Hence- 
forth the happiness and consolidation of the French Em- 
pire will be the object of all my thoughts. 

I thank my good city of Paris for its sentiments. It 
gave me special pleasure to enter its walls on the anni- 
versary of a day, four years ago, on which the people of 
this capital gave me such touching evidence of its inter- 
est in the affections nearest my heart. To be here I had 
to come on in advance of my army, and to trust myself 
unattended to that national guard which I myself created, 
and that has so fully attained the object of its creation. 
I am ambitious of retaining its command for myself. 

27th. (To Davout.) Establish workshops in Paris for 
mounting 400 muskets a day, with spare parts. It will 
give the city employment. 

29th. From the date of the present decree the slave 
trade is abolished. 

30th. (To General Rapp.) At the time when you came 
back from Egypt, at the time that Desaix was killed, you 
were only a soldier; I have made a man of you. I shall 
never forget your conduct on the retreat from Moscow. 
Ney and you are among the few whose souls are as tem- 
pered steel. And at your siege of Dantzig you did more 
than the imj)ossiblc. 

April 1st. The work of fifteen years is undone, it can- 



^T.44] A DIARY 451 

not be begun afresh. It would take twenty years and the 
sacrifice of twenty milHons of men. In any case, I need 
peace and can obtain it only by victories; I will not raise 
false hopes in you; I allow it to be said that there are ne- 
gotiations, but there are none. I foresee a difficult struggle, 
a long war. To maintain it the nation must support me; 
but in return it will demand liberty, — it shall have it. 
The situation is a new one. I ask for nothing better than 
advice, — a man is not at forty -five what he was at thirty. 
The repose of a constitutional monarch may suit me. It 
would suit my son even better. 

(To Francis I, Emperor of Austria.) At a moment 
when Providence has placed me once more in the capital 
of my State, my keenest wish is soon to see my wife and 
my son. My efforts will tend exclusively to consolidate 
the throne that the love of my people has restored to me, 
and some day to transmit it, settled on unshakeable 
foundations, to the child whom Your Majesty has guarded 
with paternal affection. As the maintenance of peace is 
essential to my object I have nothing more at heart than 
to maintain it with all the Powers, but I attach special 
importance to maintaining it with Your Majesty. 

11th. We must assume that the enemy will declare 
war about the 1st to the 15th of May. 

18th. A great number of Frenchmen have followed the 
Count de Lille: for instance, Marshal Victor, Generals 
Bordesoulle and Maison. A hint was thrown out to them 
that they might return; they answered that it would be 
at the head of 500,000 men. 

(To Marshal Massena.) I have read your proclamation 
with pleasure. I am very anxious to see you. If the state 



45^2 THE CORSICAN ' [isis 

of your health unfits you for anything save to return to 
the south, I will send you back there from Paris. 

2'2d. I propose presenting eagles to all the regiments 
at the Assembly of May, which will take place about the 
25th of that month. 

(Constitutional Act.) Napoleon by the grace of God 
and the Constitution Emperor of the French, to all pre- 
sent and to come greeting. 

Since we were called, fifteen years ago, bj' the will of 
France to the government of the State, we have, at va- 
rious times, attempted to improve its constitutional 
forms according to the necessities and desires of the nation, 
and by taking advantage of the lessons of experience. 
Our object then was to organize a great European federal 
system that we had adopted as conforming with the spirit 
of the age and as favouring the advance of civilization. 
From now on our object will be only to increase the pros- 
perity of France so as to strengthen civil liberty. From 
this it follows that several modifications must be made 
in the constitutions and other laws that govern this Em- 
pire. 

27th. (To Marshal Ney.) Order magazines to be 
formed at Avesnes for 100,000 men and for 20,000 horses 
for 10 days. 

(To General Bertrand.) Send one of mj' campaigning 
outfits off to Compicgne. 

Mdjj 9th. (To Count Mollicn.) It is of the utmost 
importance that the funds due to the rcginuMits for cloth- 
ing cxp(Mis(\s should be paid in within a week. I have 
100,000 men that arc useless because I have no money 
to clothe and equip them. The fate of France lies there; 



^T. 45] A DIARY 453 

set to work night and day, and take measures so that 
we can raise this money immediately. 

15th. (To Prince Lebrun.) I have received your letter; 
I shall not hide from you that I no longer viewed you 
as Arch Treasurer, because you had accepted a lower 
station in the Chamber of Peers from the Royal Govern- 
ment. But I recognised so much affection and heart in 
yesterday's address, and in the manner in which you de- 
livered it, that I can refuse you nothing, and that I am 
very glad to forget anything that was not right which you 
did during my absence. I shall have the patent of Arch 
Treasurer sent to you; you are entitled to what you have 
reconquered. 

17th. (To Drouot.) I have already told you that the 
officers of the Young Guard must advertise and get to 
work recruiting in Paris. Send officers to the various town 
halls, have a band and drummers, and do everything to 
stimulate the young men. 

27th. The Guard will probably start soon; there will 
then be no troops left in Paris. 

28th. (Note for the Duke of Vicenza.) It is probable 
that the Chamber will vote a resolution about the 
King of Rome to voice the indignation that Austria's 
conduct should provoke. This would have a good 
effect. 

Meneval is to make a report dated the day after his 
arrival. He will set forth the conduct of Austria and the 
other Powers to the Empress from Orleans up to the time 
of his leaving Vienna: the violation of the treaty of Fon- 
tainebleau by, so to speak, snatching her and her son 
from the Emperor; in this connection he will emphasize 



454 THE CORSICAN [isis 

the indignation which his grandmother the Queen of 
Sicily showed at Vienna. He will dwell particularly' on 
the separation of the Prince Imperial from his mother, 
from Mme. de Montesc^uiou, on his tears as he left her, 
on the apprehensions of Mme.. de Montesquiou for the 
safety, for the life of the young Prince. He will keep 
within bounds on this last point. He will mention the 
distress of the Empress at being separated from the Em- 
peror. She was thirty days without sleep at the time of 
the Emperor's embarkation. He will insist on the fact 
that in reality the Empress is a prisoner, since she is not 
allowed to write to the Emperor. 

June 1st. Gentlemen, Electors, Deputies of the army 
and navy to the Champ de Mai: 

Emperor, Consul, soldier, I hold all from the people. 
In prosperity, in adversity, on the battlefield, in council, 
on the throne, in exile, France has been the one and only 
object of my thoughts and of my deeds. 

Frenchmen, you are returning to your departments. 
Tell the citizens that we are at a great moment, that with 
union, energy, and perseverance we shall emerge vic- 
torious from this struggle of a great people against its 
oppressors. Tell them that the foreign kings whom I have 
placed on their thrones, or who owe me the preservation 
of their crowns, who, in the days of my prosperity, all 
begged my alliance and the protection of the French 
pe(){)le, are to-day aiming their blows at me. 

Frenchmen, my will and my duties arc those of the 
French peo])le; my honour, my glory, my hapi)incss, 
can be none other than the honour, the glory, and the 
happiness of France. 



iET.45] A DIARY 455 

3d. Prince Jerome is to serve with the rank of lieu- 
tenant-general. He must join the army at once. 

(To Marshal Davout.) Herewith you will find a copy 
of my orders for the cavalry of the army. Marshal 
Grouchy will command it. All unemployed generals are 
at his disposal. Order Marshal Grouchy to be at Laon 
on the 5th so that we may open the campaign on the 
10th. 

(To Marshal Soult.) Draw up a plan for the movement 
of the corps of General Gerard from the Moselle to 
Phillippeville, masking it as much as possible from the 
enemy. We should be there on the 12th, by making long 
days' marches. 

My Guard will all be at Soissons on the 21st. 

7th. (To Soult.) Give positive orders for stopping all 
communications along the whole of the northern Rhine 
and Moselle frontiers; not a stage or carriage must 
pass. 

I think you had better start to-morrow night. You will 
go straight to Lille, incognito so far as possible, and make 
all arrangements. You must get the latest information as 
to the enemy's positions. 

My travelling carriage must be made ready, without 
any one's knowing it, so that I can start two hours after 
issuing my orders. 

11th. I leave to-night to place myself at the head of my 
army. 

(To Marshal Davout.) Send for Marshal Ney; if he 
wants to be in the first fighting, tell him to get to 
Avesnes, where my headquarters will be on the 14th. 



456 THE CORSICAN [I815 

12th, Laon: 

Neither at Laon nor at Soissons have I found any of 
the stores that were promised me for the army. 

Avesnes : 

The infantry of the Imperial Guard will bivouac a 
quarter of a league in front of Beaumont and will be 
ranged in three lines. Each army corps will march with its 
sappers leading, and the bridging material collected by the 
generals. The corps must be well closed up and in good 
order. Moving on Charleroi every opportunity must be 
seized for getting forward and crushing any hostile bodies 
that may be manoeuvring or attempting to attack the 
army. 

14th. To-night I shall move headquarters to Beaumont. 
To-morrow, the 15th, I move on Charleroi, where the 
Prussian army is, which will result in a battle or the 
enemy's retreat. The army is splendid, and the weather 
pretty good; the country seems well disposed. 

(To the army.) Soldiers! This is the anniversary of 
Marengo and of Friedland, that twice decided the fate 
of Europe. Then, as after "NYagram, as after Austerlitz, 
we were too generous; we believed in the protestations 
and in the oaths of the princes whom we left on their 
thrones! And now, coalized against us, they are aiming 
at the iiidepondcncc and the most sacred rights of 
France. They have begun an unjust aggression. For- 
ward! Let us march against them; are not they and 
we the same men ? 

Soldiers! You were one against three at Jena against 
these same arrogant Prnssians; at Montmirail, you were 
one against six. Madmen! A moment's ])r()sj)ority has 



^T. 45] A DIARY 457 

blinded them. If they enter France they will find their 
graves. Soldiers, we have forced marches to make, bat- 
tles to fight, dangers to encounter, but with constancy 
the victory will be ours; the rights, the honour, of our 
country will be reconquered. For every Frenchman who 
has courage the moment has come to conquer or to die ! 

15th, Charleroi, 11 a. m.-. 

Good- morning, Ney, I am glad to see you. You can 
assume command of the 1st and 2d corps. Push the enemy 
back along the Brussels road and take position at Quatre 
Bras. 

Evening: 

The army has forced the passage of the Sambre near 
Charleroi and is throwing out pickets midway between 
Charleroi and Namur, and Charleroi and Brussels. We 
have captured 1500 prisoners and six guns. Four Prus- 
sian regiments have been routed. The Emperor, who has 
been in the saddle since 3 a. m., has come in very fatigued. 
He has thrown himself on a cot to rest a few hours, and 
will be in the saddle again at midnight. We may have 
serious fighting to-morrow. 

General Gerard reports that Lieutenant-General Bour- 
mont, Colonel Clouet, and Captain Villoutreys have de- 
serted to the enemy. 

16th. (To Ney.) I am sending you my aide-de-camp, 
General Flahault, with this letter. The chief of staff 
should have sent you orders, but you will get mine more 
quickly because my ofl&cers ride faster than his. 

I am moving the Guard to Fleurus, and shall be there 



458 THE CORSICAN _ [1815 

myself before noon. I shall attack the enemy if they are 
there, and reconnoitre to Gembloux. There, according to 
events, I will come to a decision, perhaps at three this 
afternoon, perhaps at night. 

(To Marshal Count Grouchy.) I shall reach Fleurus 
between ten and eleven; if the enemy hold Sombreffe I 
shall attack them, and even at Gembloux and take that 
position, as I intend to start to-night and operate with 
my left wing, commanded by Marshal Ney, against the 
English. All my information points to the Prussians not 
being able to oppose us with more than 40,000 men. 

S p. M. : 

It may be that in three hours the result of the cam- 
paign will be decided. If Ney carries out his orders well, 
not a gun of their armies will escape me. 

The right wing made up of the 3d and 4th infantry 
and 3d cavalry corps, commanded by Marshal Grouchy, 
was in position along the hills at the back of Fleurus. 
At three o'clock General Lefol's division of General ^'an- 
damme's corps got into action and carried Saint Amand, 
from which it drove the enemy at the point of the bayo- 
net. On the extreme right Marshal Grouchy and General 
Pajol fought at the village of Sombreffe. The enemy had 
80,000 or 90,000 men in line, with many guns. 

At seven o'clock we had carried all the villages; the 
enemy still occupiotl the plateau of Bussy in force. The 
Emperor moved forward with the Guard to llio village 
of Ligny. Eight battalions of the Guard advanced with 
the bayonet, with four scjuadrons of the body-guard. 
General Delort's and General Milhaud's cuirassiers and 



^T.46] A DIARY 459 

the horse grenadiers of the Guard in support. The Old 
Guard advanced with the bayonet against the enemy's 
columns on the heights of Bussy, and in an instant covered 
the field of battle with dead. At ten o'clock the battle 
was over and we were in possession of the field. 

17th, near Ligny, 11 a.m.-. 

(To Grouchy.) While I start after the English, you 
must pursue the Prussians. 

On the road from Quatre Bras to Genappe, ^ p. m. .- 

Fire! fire! they are the English! 

6 P. M., Farm of the Belle Alliance : 

The Emperor orders that the army be ready to attack 
at nine in the morning. 

18th, Battlefield of Waterloo: 

8.30 a.m.: 

There are ninety chances in our favour. 

I tell you Wellington is a bad general, the English are 
bad soldiers; we will settle the matter by lunch time. 

(Soult: I sincerely hope so!) 

(Order.) As soon as the army is in position, about one 
o'clock, when the Emperor gives the order to Marshal 
Ney, the attack will commence for capturing the village 
of Mont Saint Jean, where the crossroads are. Count 
d'Erlon will open the attack. 

At three in the afternoon the Emperor ordered the Guard 
forward to the plateau which the 1st corps had occupied 
at the beginning of the battle. The Prussian division, 
the advance of which was anticipated, opened fire on the 
skirmishers of Count de Lobau along all our right flank. 



460 THE CORSICAN [isis 

This morning wc had ninety chances in our favour; we 
still have sixty. And if Grouchy moves quickly, Billow's 
corps will bfe completely destroyed. 

The Emperor intended to push home an attack on 
Mont Saint Jean which should have been decisive, but 
by one of those impatient movements so frequent in our 
military history and that have so often been fatal to us, 
the reserve cavalry, seeing the backward movement made 
by the English to avoid our artillery fire from which 
they had already suffered heavily, advanced to the pla- 
teau of Mont Saint Jean and charged the enemy. This 
movement, which, made at the right moment and sup- 
ported by the reserves, would have decided the battle, 
made without supports and before matters were settled 
on the right became fatal. All our cavalry became en- 
gaged in mutual support. There, for three hours, many 
charges were delivered in which wc liroke several squares 
of British infantry and captured six flags, which, however, 
did not compensate the losses suffered by our cavalry 
from grape and musketry. We could not engage our re- 
serves until we had disposed of the flank attack of the 
Prussian corps. 

Troops! Where do you expect me to find them ? Do 
you want me to make them ? 

This attack continued and developed perpendicularly 
to our right flank. The Enii)eror sent General Dulicsnie 
wilii the Young Guard and several reserve batteries. 
The enemy were checked ;ui(l(lri\(Mi back; t hey were spent 



iET.46] A DIARY 461 

and no longer to be feared. That was the moment for 
attacking the enemy's centre. At half-past eight the four 
battalions of the Middle Guard that had been sent up to 
the plateau beyond Mont Saint Jean to support the 
cuirassiers and that were being annoyed by the enemy's 
grape, advanced with the bayonet to carry their batteries. 
The light was failing; a charge made in their flank by 
several English squadrons threw them into disorder; the 
fugitives recrossed the valley. Several regiments near by, 
seeing part of the Guard in flight, thought it was the Old 
Guard, and were shaken; shouts of : All is lost! The Guard 
is beaten! were raised. The soldiers even declare that at 
some points ill-disposed men shouted : Every man for him- 
self ! However that may be, a panic spread over the whole 
battlefield; a disorderly rush was made towards our line 
of retreat; soldiers, gunners, wagons all crowded in to 
reach it. 

, We must die here, we must die on the battlefield! 

The Old Guard, which was in reserve, was struck and 
carried away. 

June 19th, Philippeville : 

Deep within me was the instinct that the result would 
be fatal! 

(To King Joseph.) All is not lost. I estimate that col- 
lecting all my forces I shall have 150,000 men left. The 
national guards and a few plucky marching battalions 
will give me 100,000 men; the depot battalions 50,000. I 
therefore have 300,000 men to face the enemy with at 
once. I can drag my artillery with carriage horses; I can 



462 THE CORSICAN [1815 

raise 100,000 conscripts; I can arm them with the muskets 
of royalists and ill-disposed national guards; I will raise a 
levy en masse in the Lyonnais, Dauphine, Burgundy, Lor- 
raine, Champagne; I will crush the enemy; but everybody 
must help me, and not deafen me. I am starting for La on: 
I shall doubtless find troops there. I have not heard from 
Grouchy; unless he is captured, as I fear, he is, I shall 
have 50,000 men in three days. Write and tell me what 
efiFect this horrible scrimmage has had on the Chamber. I 
think the deputies will realize that their duty, in this 
great crisis, is to join me in saving France. See that they 
support me as they should; above all courage and firmness. 

21st, Paris: 

I had had no food for three days! I was extremely 
tired. As soon as I arrived I jumped into my bath, and 
had something to eat. 

(Lavalette: He came to me with a frightful, epileptic 
laugh!) 

Ah! my God! 

The army did wonders ; it was seized with a panic. Ney 
behaved like a madman. I am exhausted. I must have 
two hours' rest. I am bursting, here! 

Well, all is not lost. I shall inform the Chamber of 
what has occurred. I hope Ihat this step will rally them 
around me. After that I shall go off again. 

(Message to the Chamber of Representatives.) Mr. 
President: After the battles of Ligny and of Mont Saint 
Jean, and after having arranged for rallying the army at 
Avesnes and Philippeville, for the defence of the fron- 



2ET. 45] A DIARY 463 

tier fortresses, and of the cities of Laon and Soissons, I 
have come to Paris to concert measures for the national 
defence with my ministers, and to come to an under- 
standing with the Chamber concerning all that the safety 
of the country demands. 

I have appointed as a Committee the Minister of For- 
eign Affairs, Count Carnot, and the Duke of Otranto to 
renew and continue the negotiations with the Powers, so 
as to discover their real intentions and to put an end to 
the war, providing that is compatible with the independ- 
ence and honour of the Nation. 

My political existence is at an end. 

22d, morning: 

If they mean to use force with me, I shall not abdicate. 
I must be left to come to my decision in peace. Tell them 
to wait. 

4 P.M.: 

Lucien, write : When I began the war to maintain the 
national independence, I counted on the unanimous sup- 
port of every individual, of every official. I had good 
reason to anticipate success. Circumstances appeared to 
be changed. I offer myself as a sacrifice to the hatred of 
the enemies of France. I only hope that their declaration 
may prove sincere, and that their hostility is solely to my 
person. Let all unite for the public safety and to remain 
an indepehdent nation. I proclaim my son, under the 
style of Napoleon II, Emperor of the French. 

They have forced me to it ! 



464 THE CORSICAN [1815 

(Vive I'Empereur! Vive I'Empereur!) 

They have done so much for me ! Will the people ever 
know how much this night of indecision and of agony has 
cost me ? I had to give in, and once done, it is done; I am 
not for half measures. 

I could not be, I would not be, a king of the mob! 

23d. Ah, wretched man ! What have you written there ? 
Strike it out, sir, strike it out quickly! A battle of the 
spurs! What a mistake ! What a calumny! A battle of the 
spurs! Ah! poor army! brave soldiers ! You never fought 
better! 

24th. They are debating, the hounds, with the enemy 
at our gates! 

(To Hortense.) Malmaison is yours. Will you grant 
me hospitality there ? 

25th. (To Barbier.) The Grand Marshal requests M. 
Barbier to bring to Malmaison to-morroW: 

some books on America; 

a schedule of all that has been printed about the Em- 
peror during his various campaigns. 

The great library must be invoiced to an American firm 
that can ship it to America by way of Havre. 

Malmaison : 

(To the army.) Soldiers! Although absent, I shall fol- . 
low your footsteps. Every regiment is known to me, and 
I shall render justice to its courage when it gains a suc- 
cess over the enemy. We have been calumniated, you 
and I. Those who are incapable of judging you have seen 
in the |)roofs of devotion you have given me a zeal of 
wliich I was the sole object; let your future successes show 
that it was above all our country you served in obeying 



iET. 45] A DIARY 465 

me, and that if I own a share of your affections I owe 
it to my ardent love for France, our common Mother. 
Save the honour, the independence, of the French, re- 
main till the end such as I have known you during twenty 
years, and you will be invincible. 

Poor Josephine ! I cannot get used to being here with- 
out her. It seems as though I may see her coming out 
of an alley at any moment, picking some of these flowers 
that she loved so much! 

I want to leave France now. Let them give me the two 
frigates I asked for, and I shall start at once for Rochefort. 

29th. They are still afraid of me ! I wanted to make 
one last effort to save France. They would not let me! 

5 p. M. Departure for Rochefort. 

July 14th, Island of Aix: 

(To the Prince Regent of England.) Your Royal High- 
ness : Exposed to the factions that divide my country and 
to the enmity of the powers of Europe, I have closed my 
political career, and I come, like Themistocles, to claim 
hospitality at the hearth of the British people. I place 
myself under the protection of their laws, which I demand 
from Your Royal Highness, as from the most powerful, 
the most constant, and the most generous of my foes. 

15th, on the bridge of the Epervier, 6 a. m.: 

General Beker, return to the island of Aix. It must not 
be said that France handed me over to the English. 

Departure for H. M. S. Bellerophon. 

(To Captain Maitland.) I come on board your ship to 
place myself under the protection of the laws of England. 



466 THE CORSICAN [isio 

August 4th, on board H. M. S. Bellcrophon: 
I solemnly protest here, in the face of heaven and of 
men, against the violation of my most sacred rights, in dis- 
posing of my person and of my liberty by force. I came on 
board the Bellcrophon freely ; I am not the prisoner, I am 
the guest of England. From the instant I boarded the 
Bellerophon I was at the hearth of the British people. I 
appeal to History ! It will place on record that an enemy 
w^ho during twenty years waged war against the British 
people came freely in his misfortune to seek a refuge 
under their laws; and what more striking proof could he 
display of his esteem and of his trust ? And how did Eng- 
land reply to such magnanimity ? She pretended to hold 
out the hand of hospitality to her enemy, and when he 
had placed himself in her power, she slew him ! 

WTiatever shall we do in that remote spot ? Well, we 
will write our Memoirs. Yes, we shall have to work; and 
work is the scythe of time. After all, a man must accom- 
plish his destiny; that is my great doctrine. Well, let mine 
be fulfilled! 

7th, on board H. M. S. Northumberland; departure for 
St. Helena. 

Here I am. Admiral, at your orders! 

They can call me what they like (General Bonaparte), 
they cannot prevent me from being myself. 

13th, at sea: 

What time is it ? — Let's play vingt d un. 

September 4th. Vendcmiairc, even MonliMiotte, did not 
convince mo that I was a really great man; it was only 
after Lodi that the idea took possession of me thai I might 



iET.46] A DIARY 467 

easily become a decisive actor on our political stage. 
Then flashed the first spark of high ambition. 

6th. I returned from the campaign of Italy not worth 
more than 300,000 francs of my own; I might easily have 
brought back ten or twelve millions, and I should have 
earned them; I never handed in any accounts, nor was I 
ever asked for any. I expected, on my return, some great 
national reward; but the Directoire put the matter on one 
side. My proclivity was for creating and not for possess- 
ing. My property lay in glory and fame: the Simplon 
for the people; the Louvre for the foreigners, were to me 
more of a property than the private domains. I bought 
diamonds for the Crown; I repaired the royal palaces; I 
crammed them full of furniture; and I found myself on 
occasion thinking that the money spent by Josephine on 
her hothouses or gallery was a positive injury for my 
Botanical Gardens or my Paris Museum. 

14 th. I did not usurp the crown ; it was in the gutter and 
I picked it out; the people placed it on my head: their act 
must be respected. 

18th. What latitude are we in ? What longitude ? What 
is the run since yesterday ? 

28th. In revolutions a man can be sure of nothing except 
what he is doing; it would not be reasonable to affirm that 
things might not have turned out differently. 

October 8th. The men of 1815 were not the men of 1792. 
The generals were afraid of everything. I needed some one 
to lead the Guard: had Bessieres or Lannes been there I 
should not have been defeated. Soult did n't have a good 
staff. 

,17th. Landing at St. Helena. 



ST. HELENA 

October 24th, 1815. What infamous treatment they 
have held in store for us! This is the agony of death! 
To injustice, to violence, they add insult and slow tor- 
ture ! If I was so dangerous, w4iy did n't they get rid of 
me ? A few bullets in my heart or in my head would have 
settled it; there would have been some courage at least 
in such a crime ! If it were not for you and for your wives 
I would refuse everything here save a soldier's rations. 
How can the Sovereigns of Europe permit the sacred 
nature of sovereignty to be attainted in me ? Can't they 
see that they are killing themselves at St. Helena ? I have 
entered their capitals as a conqueror; had I been moved 
by such motives, what would have become of them ? 
They all called me their brother, and I had become so by 
the will of the people, the sanction of victory, the char- 
acter of religion, the alliances of policy and of family. 

November 16th. You don't know men; they are difficult 
to judge precisely. Do they know, do they realize them- 
selves fully ? Had I continued prosperous, most of those 
who abandoned me would probably never have suspected 
their own treachery. In any case, I was more deserted 
than betrayed; there was more weakness about me than 
treason; they were the regiment of St. Peter, — repent- 
ance and tours may stand at the gates! Apart from that, 
who has there been in history with more partisans, more 
friends ? Who has been more popular, more beloved ? 
Who ever left behind more ardent regrets ? Look at 



iET.46] A DIARY 469 

France: might not one say that from this rock of mine I 
still reign over her ? 

25th. When I returned from Moscow, from Leipzig, it 
was reported in Paris that my hair had turned white; but 
you see it is not so, and I expect to stand worse things 
than those! 

29th. My Code alone, because of its simplicity, has done 
more good in France than the sum total of all the laws 
that preceded it. My schools are preparing unknown 
generations. And so during my reign crime diminished 
rapidly, whilst on the contrary among our neighbours in 
England it increased with frightful rapidity. And that is 
enough, I think, to give a clear judgment on the two 
governments. 

People take England on trust, and repeat that Shake- 
speare is the greatest of all authors. I have read him : there 
is nothing that compares with Racine or Corneille: his 
plays are unreadable, pitiful. 

30th, in the garden: 

It is certainly far from poor Toby here (a negro gar- 
dener) to a King Richard! And yet the crime is no less 
atrocious; for, after all, this man had a family, happiness, 
an individual existence. And it is a horrible crime to have 
sent him here to finish his days under the load of slavery. 
But I read your looks; you think there is a similar case at 
St. Helena! There is not the least comparison between 
the two; if the misdeed strikes higher, the victim can fall 
back on far greater resources. Our situation may even 
have good points! The Universe watches us! We stand 
as martyrs of an immortal cause! Millions of men weep 
with us, our country sighs, and glory has put on mourn- 



470 THE CORSICAN [1815-I6 

ing! We struggle here against the tyranny of the gods, 
and the hopes of humanity are with us! Misfortune itself 
knows heroism, and glory! Only adversity was wanting 
to complete my career! Had I died on the throne, in 
the clouds of my allmightiness, I would have remained 
a problem for many; as it is, thanks to my misfortunes. 
I can be judged naked. 

December 6th. Well, we shall have sentries under our 
windows for dinner atLongwood; they would like to com- 
pel me to have a foreign officer at my table, in my room; 
I must not ride out on horseback without one; in a word 
we must not take one step, under penalty of an insult ! 

January 1, 1816. In this accursed island one cannot 
see the sun or the moon for the greater part of the year; 
always rain or fog. One can't ride a mile without being 
soaked; even the English, accustomed as they are to 
dampness, complain of it. 

15th. We have no superfluity here, except of time. 

22d. On my return from the army of Italy, Bernardin 
de St. Pierre came to call on me, and almost at once 
turned the conversation on the subject of his poverty. 
During my boyhood I had dreamed of nothing but Paul 
and Virginia, and, flattered by a confession that I as- 
sumed to be confidential and due to my great reputa- 
tion, I speedily returned his call, and discreetly left a 
little roll of twenty-five louis on the mantelpiece. 

February 7. News of the death of Murat at Pizzo. 

The Calabrese have been more humane, more generous, 
than those who sent mo Iktc! 

8th. It was fated that Murat should do us injury. I 
would have taken him to Waterloo, but the French army 



^T. 46] A DIARY 471 

was so patriotic, so honest, that it is doubtful if it could 
have been brought to swallow the disgust and horror that 
was felt for those who were traitors. I did not think I had 
the power to maintain him there, and yet he might have 
meant victory. For what was it we lacked at certain 
moments of the day ? To break in three or four English 
squares, — and Murat was admirable at that business, 
he was the very man for it; there was never seen a more 
determined, fearless, brilliant leader at the head of cav- 
alry. 

17th. If I hadn't been fool enough to get myself beaten 
at Waterloo, the business was done; even now I can't see 
how it happened — but there, don't let 's talk about it 
any more! 

March 3d. I frightened them pretty well with my in- 
vasion of England, didn't I ? What was the public talk 
about it at the time ? Well, you may have joked about it 
in Paris, but Pitt wasn't laughing in London. Never was 
the English oligarchy in greater peril ! 

I had made a landing possible; I had the finest army 
that ever existed, that of Austerlitz; what more can be 
said? In four days I could have reached London; I 
would not have entered as a conqueror but as a liberator; 
I would have acted the part of William III again, but 
with greater generosity. The discipline of my army 
would have been perfect; and it would have behaved in 
London as it might in Paris. From there I would have 
operated from south to north, under the colours of the 
Republic, the European regeneration which later I was on 
the point of effecting from north to south, under mon- 
archical forms. The obstacles before which I failed did 



472 THE CORSICAN [I8I6 

not proceed from men but from the elements : in the south 
it was the sea destroyed me; and in the north it was the 
fire of Moscow and the ice of winter; so there it is, water, 
air, fire, all nature and nothing but nature; these were the 
opponents of a universal regeneration commanded by 
Nature herself! The problems of Nature are insoluble! 

7th. Count Lascases Chambellan of the S. M. Long- 
wood; into his polac : very press. 

Count Lascases, Since sixt wek, y learn the english 
and y do not any progress. Sixt week do fourty and two 
day. If might have learn fivty word for day, i could know 
it two thousands and two hundred. It is in the dictionary 
more of fourty thousand; even he could most twenty; but 
much of tems. For know it or hundred and twenty week 
which do more two years. After this you shall agree that 
the study one tongue is a great labour who it must do into 
the young aged. Longwood, this morning the seven march 
thursday one thousand eight hundred sixteen after na- 
tivity the Lors Jesus Christ. 

11th. The Emperor of Russia is intelligent, pleasing, 
well-educated, can fascinate easily; but one has to be on 
one's guard, he is a real Greek of the later Empire. 

Greece awaits a liberator. What a splendid wreath of 
glory is there! He can inscribe his name for eternity with 
those of Homer, of Plato, of Epaminondas! I myself was 
perhaps not far from doing it! When at the time of my 
campaign of Italy I touched the shores of the Adriatic, I 
wrote to the Direct oire that I could look out over the Em- 
pire of Alexander. 



^T. 46] A DIARY 473 

The French are all critical, turbulent: they are real 
weathervanes at the mercy of the winds; but this fault is 
free from any factor of self-interest, and that is their 
best excuse. 

31st. With St. John of Acre captured, I could have 
reached Constantinople and India; I would have changed 
the face of the world ! 

April 1st. I can count thirty-one conspiracies on official 
record, without speaking of those that remain unknown; 
others invent such things, I have carefully concealed all I 
was able to. The risk to my life was a great one, espe- 
cially between Marengo and the attempt of Georges and 
the affair of the Duke d'Enghien. 

11th. Talleyrand's face is so impassive that it is impos- 
sible to interpret it; Lannes and Murat used to say of him 
jokingly that if, while he was speaking with you, some one 
kicked him from behind, his face would show nothing. 

Fouche required intrigues just as he did food. He in- 
trigued at all times, in all places, in all manners, with all 
people. He was always in everybody's boots. 

(O'Meara : Which is the best of the French generals ?) 

It is difficult to say, but it seems to me that it is Suchet; 
formerly it was Massena, but he may be considered a dead 
man. Suchet, Clausel, and Gerard are the best French 
generals, in my opinion. I made my generals out of mud. 

18th. In my misfortunes, I sought an asylum, and in- 
stead I have found contempt, ill-treatment, and insult. 
Shortly after I came on board (Admiral Cockburn's) 
ship, as I did not wish to sit for two or three hours guz- 
zling down wine to make myself drunk, I got up from 
table, and walked out upon deck. While I was going out, 



474 THE CORSICAN [18I6 

he said, in a contemptuous manner: — I believe the gen- 
eral has never read Lord Chesterfield; meaning, that I was 
deficient in politeness, and did not know how to conduct 
myself at table. 

19th. I have no reason to complain of the English sol- 
diers or sailors; on the contrary, they treat me with great 
respect, and even appear to feel for me. INIoore was a 
brave soldier, an excellent officer, and a man of talent. 

20th. England and France have held in their hands the 
fate of the world, especially that of European civilization. 
How we have injured one another! 

21st. They want to know what I wish ? I ask for my 
freedom, or for the executioner! Tell your Prince Regent 
what I say. I no longer ask for news of my son since they 
have had the barbarism to leave my first request unan- 
swered. 

It is hard, all the same, to find myself without money; 
I might make arrangements to have an annual credit on 
Eugene of 7000 or 8000 napoleons. He could not very 
well refuse; he has had perhaps more than 40 millions from 
me, and it would be casting a slur on his personal charac- 
ter to doubt him. 

26th. Well, after all said and done, circumstances 
might have led me to accept Islam, and as that excellent 
Queen of France used to say: How you do go on! But I 
should have wanted something worth my while, — at 
least up to the Euphrates. A change of religion, which is 
unpardonable for personal motives, may porha]is be ac- 
cepted when immense polilieal results depend on it. 
Henry IV rightly said: Paris is worth a mass. To think 



^T.46] . A DIARY 475 

that the Empire of the East, perhaps the dominion of all 
Asia, was the matter of a turban and a pair of baggy 
trousers; for really that was all it came to. 

Constantinople alone is an Empire; whoever possesses 
it can rule the world. 

28th. Had I not won at Austerlitz, I would have had 
the whole of Prussia on my back. Had I not triumphed 
at Jena, Austria and Spain would have risen behind me. 
Had I not succeeded at Wagram, a far less decisive vic- 
tory, I had to fear that Russia would abandon me, that 
Prussia would revolt, and the English were already in 
front of Antwerp. I made a great mistake after Wagram 
in not striking Austria down even lower. She remained 
too powerful for our security; she eventually destroyed us. 
Austria had come into my family; and yet this marriage 
was fatal to me. I stepped on to an abyss covered with 
flowers. 

29th. My dear friend, you and I, in this place, are al- 
ready in the next world; we are conversing in the Elysian 
Fields. 

May 1st. They may change, and chop, and suppress, 
but after all they will find it pretty difficult to make me 
disappear altogether. A French historian cannot very 
easily avoid dealing with the Empire ; and, if he has a heart, 
he will have to give me back something of my own. I 
sealed the gulf of anarchy, and I unravelled chaos. I puri- 
fied the revolution, raised the people, and strengthened 
monarchy. I stimulated every ambition, rewarded every 
merit, and pushed back the bounds of glory! All that 
amounts to something! 

10th. It is most remarkable how the revolution sud- 



476 THE CORSICAN [18I6 

denly produced so many great generals, Picliegru, Kleber, 
Massena, Marceau, Desaix, Hoche; and nearly all of them 
rankers; but there the effort of Nature seemed to stop, she 
has produced nothing since. 

16th. ^Yell, my dear fellow, things got pretty hot ; I was 
angry ! They have sent me something worse than a gaoler; 
Sir Hudson Lowe is an executioner! Well, I received him 
to-day with my face of thunder, head down, and ears 
back! We stared like two rams on the point of butting 
at one another; and my emotions must have been quite 
violent, for I felt my left calf twitching. That is a great 
symptom with me, and hadn't occurred for a long time. 

You say, sir, that your instructions are more terrible 
than those of the Admiral. Are they to kill me by the 
sword, or by poison ? I am prepared for anything from 
your Minister; here I am, slaughter your victim! I don't 
know how you can manage the poison; but as for the 
sword you have already found the way. I warn you that 
if, as you have threatened, you intrude on my privacy, 
the brave 53d will not pass in except over my body. On 
learning of your arrival I flattered myself that I should 
find in you an army officer who, having been on the Con- 
tinent and having witnessed its great struggles, would 
have behaved with propriety towards me; I made a pro- 
found mistake. Your nation, your government, j'ou your- 
self, will be covered with opprobrium because of me; and 
your children too; that will be the verdict of posterity. 
What subtlety of barbarism could go further, sir, than 
that which led you a few days ago to invito nio to your 
table under the qualification of General Bona[)arte, to 
make me the amusement and the laughing-stock of your 



^T.46] A DIARY 477 

guests ? Would you have cut your courtesy to the rank 
you were pleased to assign me ? I am not General Bona- 
parte for you, sir; you have no more right than any other 
person on earth to take from me the qualifications that 
are mine! 

They will kill me here, my dear fellow, that is quite 
certain ! 

19th. When sleeping together it is not easy to lose 
touch ; but otherwise people are quickly strangers. And so it 
was that so long as that habit lasted, none of my thoughts, 
none of my actions, escaped Josephine; she seized, guessed, 
kept track of everything, which was sometimes quite awk- 
ward for me and for business. A passing quarrel put an 
end to it at the time of the camp of Boulogne. 

Josephine was always thinking of the future, and was 
alarmed at her barrenness. She realized fully that no 
marriage is complete and real without children; and she 
had married when no longer able to have any. As pros- 
perity came, her anxiety increased; she had recourse to 
the medical art; she frequently pretended that success had 
resulted. Josephine had the excessive extravagance and 
disorderliness of the Creoles. Her accounts never could be 
balanced; she was always in debt; and we always quar- 
relled vigorously when the moment came for settling 
those debts. Even at Elba Josephine's accounts were 
showered on me from every part of Italy. 

Another characteristic trait of Josephine was her con- 
stant attitude of negation. At any moment, at any ques- 
tion made to her, her first instinct was to deny, her first 
word was no; and the no was not exactly a lie, it was a 



478 THE CORSICAN [18I6 

precaution, a mere defensive; and it is just that which 
differentiates us from you, ladies, a fundamental distinc- 
tion of sex and of education: you are made for love, and 
you are taught to say no. We, on the contrary, glory in 
saying yes, even when we should not. And there is the key 
of our difference in conduct. We are not and cannot be of 
the same sort in life. 

If I were starting at night in a chaise for a distant jour- 
ney, to my great astonishment there would Josephine 
be, waiting in it ready dressed, although it had not been 
arranged that she should go. — But you can't possibly 
come ! I am going too far; it would fatigue you too much ! 
— Not in the least, answered Josephine. — And I must 
start at once. — Well, I'm quite ready. — But you need 
a whole paraphernalia. — Not at all, she said; I have 
everything. — And generally I had to give in. 

After all said and done, Josephine gave her husband 
happiness, and was always his tenderest friend, always 
and in all events showing submission, devotion, absolute 
self-sacrifice. And I have always thought of her with 
tender affection and keen gratitude. 

Madame (Mere) was too parsimonious; it was ridicu- 
lous. I even offered her a large monthly allowance if only 
she would disburse it. She was quite ready to take it, but 
on condition she could keep it. In reality it was all merely 
an excess of prudence on her part ; she was always afraid 
of finding herself penniless some day. She had known 
necessity, and could luner free her mind from the memory 
of that terrible time. It is only fair to say, however, that 
she gave a great deal of money to her children in secret; 
she is such a good mother! 



2ET.46] A DIARY 479 

And yet this same woman from whom it is so difficult 
to extract a five franc piece would have given her all to 
help my return from Elba; and after Waterloo she would 
have given me all she possessed to help reestablish my 
affairs; she offered it me; she would have sentenced her- 
self to black bread without a murmur. 

20th. I am sad, bored, ill; sit in that armchair, keep 
me company. 

21st. What shall we read to-night ? You all agree on 
the Bible ? It is really most edifying; they wouldn't 
guess what we're doing, in Europe! 

June 1st. When any one of my ministers, or other high 
personages, had blundered badly, and it was necessary to 
get annoyed, really angry, furious, I always took care to 
have a third party present at the scene; my rule was that 
when I had decided to strike, the blow should fall on a 
good many; the one on whom it fell was neither more nor 
less resentful; while the witness, whose face and embar- 
rassment were worth seeing, would go off and discreetly 
spread far and wide what he had seen and heard : a healthy 
terror circulated through the veins of the social body. 
Things went better; I had to punish less frequently; I 
profited much and without doing much harm. 

4th. I have been scolded for my laziness to-day, so 
here I am back at work to attack several points at once; 
there will be something for everybody. I shall tackle 
the Consulate with Montholon, Gourgaud can have some 
other epoch, or separate battles, and little Emmanuel 
(Las Cases) can prepare the documents and materials for 
the period of the coronation. 

8th, Everything proclaims the existence of a God; that 



480 THE CORSICAN [isie 

is beyond doubt; but all our religions are clearly the off- 
spring of men. A man can swear to nothing that he will do 
in his last moments; yet undoubtedly my belief is that I 
shall die without a confessor. Assuredly I am far from being 
an atheist; yet I cannot believe all that is taught, in spite 
of reason, without being dishonest and a hj'pocrite. Under 
the Empire, and particularly after the marriage wnth 
Maria Louisa, the greatest efforts were made to persuade 
me to go to Notre Dame in full state for communion, 
» after the manner of our kings; I refused flatly; my faith 
was not strong enough for it to do me any good, and yet 
was too great to commit a sacrilege in cold blood. To 
know whence I come, what I am, whither I go, is beyond 
me, and yet there it is ! I am the clock that exists but does 
not know itself. I can appear before God's tribunal, I can 
await his judgment without fear. I worked onlj' for the 
glory, the power, the splendour of France; there all my 
faculties, my efforts, my time were given. That could not 
be a crime ; to me it appeared a virtue ! 

10th. Fox came to France immediatelj' after the 
treaty of Amiens. He was working at a history of the 
Stuarts, and asked my permission to search in our diplo- 
matic archives, I ordered that he should be given access 
to everything. I received him frequently; I knew of his 
talents by reputation; I quickly found in him a lofty soul, 
a good heart, large, generous, liberal views, an ornament 
of humankind; I became attached to him. We conversed 
freely, leaving prejudices aside, on a variety of subjects, 
and when I wanted to rub il in I would remind him of the 
infernal machine, I would say that his Ministers had tried 
to assassinate me.; he used to get quite heated arguing 



^T.46] A DIARY 481 

against me, and would always finish by saying in his bad 
French : Premier Consul, otez vous done cela de voire tete I 

13th. The terrible Moniteur that has ruined so many 
reputations is constantly useful and favourable for me 
alone. Reasonable men, men of real talent, will write his- 
tory from the oflScial documents ; but these documents are 
full of me, and it is they I invoke and stand by. 

18th. An inconceivable battle ! An unheard of concur- 
rence of fatal events ! Grouchy — Ney — d'Erlon ! Was 
it nothing worse than misfortune ? Ah, unhappy France! 
Extraordinary campaign in which in less than a week I 
three times saw success slip out of my hands ! Had it not 
been for the desertion of a traitor I would have crushed the 
enemy at the beginning of the campaign. I would have 
crushed them at Ligny had my left done its duty. Again, 
I would have crushed them at Waterloo had my right not 
failed me. 

21st. They will always fear me! Pitt told them truly: 
there is no safety for you with a man who carries a whole 
invasion in his head. In any case, what is there to fear ? 
That I should make war ? I am too old. That I should run 
after glory ? I am gorged with it, I turned it into my litter. 

July 12th. A questa casa, o in questo luogo tristo, non 
voglio niente di lui. I hate this Longwood. The sight of it 
makes me melancholy. Let him put me in some place 
where there is shade, verdure, and water. Here it either 
blows a furious wind, loaded with rain and fog, che mi 
tdglia V anima; or, if that is wanting, il sole mi hrucia il 
cervello, through the want of shade when I go out. 

15th. I had resolved to renew at Cherbourg the mar- 



482 THE CORSICAN [18I6 

vels of Egypt : I had already erected my pyramid in the 
sea; I would also have had my lake INIoeris. My grand ob- 
ject was to be able to concentrate all our naval forces so as 
to aim a great stroke at the enemy. I was, so to speak, 
laying out the field so that the two nations could grapple 
with one another bodily; and the result could not be in 
doubt, for we would have been more than forty millions of 
French against fifteen millions of English; the end would 
have been a battle of Actium. 

16th. (To Hudson Lowe.) Shall I tell you what we 
think of you ? We believe you capable of anything, I 
mean anything; and so long as you live with your hatred, 
we shall live with our thoughts. The most evil deed of 
your Minister was not sending me to St. Helena, but mak- 
ing you its governor. You are a greater plague than all 
the afflictions of this hideous rock! 

21st. The English trembled when we occupied Egj'pt. 
We were revealing to Europe the real way of taking India 
from them. They are not quite easy yet, and they are 
quite right. 

22d. Man loves the supernatural. He meets deception 
halfway. The fact is that everything about us is a miracle. 
Strictly speaking, there are no phenomena, for in nature 
everything is a phenomenon: my existence is a phenome- 
non; this log that is being put into the chimney is a phe- 
nomenon; this light that illuminates me is a phenomenon; 
my intelligence, my faculties, are phenomena; for they all 
exist, yet we cannot define them. I leave you here, and I 
am in Paris, entering the Opera; I bow to the spectators, 
I hear the acclamations, I see the actors, I hear the music. 
Now if I can span the space from St. Helena, ^^ hy not 



iET. 46-47] A DIARY 483 

that of the centuries ? Why should I not see the future hke 
the past ? Would the one be more extraordinary, more 
marvellous than the other ? No, but in fact it is not so. 

25th. Can it be possible that the Emperor of Austria, 
whose daughter I married, who solicited that marriage on 
his knees, to whom I twice restored his capital, who has 
in his keeping my wife and my son, should send a commis- 
sioner here without one single line for me, without the 
least little scrap of a bulletin on the health of my son ? 

29th, at dinner: 

Gentlemen, Santini there, wanted to murder the gov- 
ernor ? 

What, thief ? You meant to kill the governor ? If that 
idea gets into your head again, you will have me to deal 
with; you '11 see what I '11 do to you! 

August 4th. A man must have accomplished all that 
I have, to realize fully the difficulty of doing good. It 
sometimes needed all my power to succeed. If it was a 
question of extending the Tuileries gardens, of repairing 
the sewers, of carrying through a public improvement, 
all my energy was necessary; I had to write six, ten letters 
a day, and get hot and angry. I have spent as much as 30 
millions on sewers which nobody will ever thank me for. 

Archimedes would promise anything if only he could 
place his lever; I would have done as much wherever I 
could place my energy, my perseverance, and my bud- 
gets. With budgets one could create the world. 

18th. (Hudson Lowe: But, sir, you don't know me!) 

JEh ! And where could I have known you indeed ? I have 
not met you on a field of battle. You were only good for 
hiring murderers. Look at that camp where your soldiers 



484 THE CORSICAN [isic 

are. If I went to them and said: The oldest soldier of 
Europe asks you for a bit of your rations, — I should get 
a share of their dinner. I, who have governed the world, 
know what sort of people are employed on such duties. 
Only men with no sense of honour accept them. You do 
well to ask to be relieved. It will be good for you, and for 
me! 

(To Admiral Cockburn.) Lowe's faults come from his 
ways of life. He has only commanded foreign deserters, 
Piedmontese, Corsicans, Sicilians, all renegades, traitors to 
their country, the lees, the scum of Europe. Had he com- 
manded men. Englishmen, he would treat with respect 
those who are entitled to honour. All these details are 
degrading. Were you to stretch me on the burning coals 
of Montezuma or of Guatimozin you could not extract 
from me gold I do not possess. In any case, who is asking 
anything of you ? Who has asked you to feed me ? If you 
stopped your provisions and I were hungry, these brave 
soldiers would take compassion on me. I could go to the 
mess of their grenadiers, and I am sure thej^ would not 
deny the first, the oldest soldier of Europe. In a few 
years your Lord Castlereagh, your Lord Bathurst and the 
others, you who are speaking, will be buried in dust and 
forgotten; or, if your names are known it will only be 
for the insults you have accumulated against me. 

19th. That governor came here yesterday to annoy 
me. He saw me walking in the garden, and in consequence 
I could not refuse to see him. He wanted to enter into 
some details with me, about reducing the expenses of 
the establishment. He had the audacity to tell me that 
things were as he found them, and that he came up to 



iET. 47] A DIARY 485 

justify himself : that he had come up two or three times 
before to do so, but that I was in a bath. I replied: No, 
sir, I was not in a bath, but I ordered one on purpose 
not to see you. 

28th. (Mme. de Montholon: Which were the best 
troops ?) 

Those that win battles, madam. And they are fickle, 
they must be taken on their day, like you ladies. The 
best troops have been, the Carthaginians under Hannibal, 
the Romans under the Scipios, the Macedonians under 
Alexander, the Prussians under Frederick. Some day my 
army of Italy and that of Austerlitz may be equalled, but, 
surely, never surpassed. 

September 2d. I was the keystone of an edifice that was 
new, and had such weak foundations! If I had been 
beaten at Marengo, you would have had all 1814 then, 
less the glorious miracles that followed and that remain 
immortal. The same holds good for Austerlitz, for Jena, 
for Eylau, and elsewhere. 

24th. My force of character has often been praised; 
yet for my own family I was nothing but a mollycoddle, 
and they knew it. The first storm over, their perseverance, 
their obstinacy, always carried the day; and, from sheer 
lassitude, they did what they liked with me. I made some 
great errors there. I did not have the luck Gengis Khan 
had with his four sons, who knew no emulation save that 
of serving him well. When I created a king, he at once 
considered himself by the grace of God. A delusion 
seized all of them that they were adored, preferred to me. 

27th. That 's it; work is my element; I was born, I was 
made for work. I have reached the limit with my legs; I 



486 THE CORSICAN [isie 

have reached the Hmit with my eyes; but never in my 
work. And so I almost killed poor Meneval; I had to re- 
lieve him and put him out as a convalescent with Marie 
Louise, with whom his duties were a real sinecure. 

29th. You want to know the treasures of Napoleon ? 
They are enormous, it is true, but in full view. Here they 
are: the splendid harbour of Antwerp, that of Flushing, 
capable of holding the largest fleets; the docks and dykes 
of Dunkirk, of Havre, of Nice; the gigantic harbour of 
Cherbourg; the harbour works at Venice; the great roads 
from Antwerp to Amsterdam, from Mainz to Metz, from 
Bordeaux to Bayonne; the passes of the Simplon, of 
Mont Cenis, of Mont Genevre, of the Corniche, that give 
four openings through the Alps; in that alone you might 
reckon 800 millions. The roads from the Pyrenees to the 
Alps, from Parma to Spezzia, from Savona to Piedmont; 
the bridges of Jena, of Austerlitz, of the Arts, of Sevres, 
of Tours, of Lyons, of Turin, of the Isere, of the Durance, 
of Bordeaux, of Rouen; the canal from the Rhine to the 
Rhone, joining the waters of Holland to the Mediterra- 
nean; the canal that joins the Scheldt and the Somme, 
connecting Amsterdam and Paris; that which joins the 
Ranee and the Vilaine; the canal of Aries, of Pavia, of 
the Rhine; the draining of the marshes of Bourgoing, of 
the Cotentin, of Rochefort; the rebuilding of most of the 
churches pulled down during the Revolution, the building 
of new ones; the construction of many industrial estab- 
lishments for putting an end to pauperism; the construc- 
tion of the Louvre, of the public granaries, of the Bank, 
of the canal of the Ourcq; the water system of the city 
of Paris, the numerous sewers, the quays, the embellish- 



iET.47] A DIARY 487 

ments and monuments of that great city; the public im- 
provements of Rome; the reestablishment of the manu- 
factories of Lyons. Fifty miUions spent on repairing and 
improving the Crown residences ; sixty milhons' worth of 
furniture placed in the palaces of France and Holland, at 
Turin, at Rome; sixty millions' worth of Crown diamonds, 
all of it the money of Napoleon; even the Regent, the 
only misssing one of the old diamonds of the Crown of 
France, purchased from Berlin Jews with whom it was 
pledged for three millions; the Napoleon Museum, valued 
at more than 400 millions. 

These are monuments to confound calumny! History 
will relate that all this was accomplished in the midst of 
continuous wars, without raising a loan, and with the 
public debt actually decreasing day by day. 

October 21st. After all said and done, Mme. de Stael is 
a woman of great talent, very distinguished, of very keen 
intelligence : she has won her place. It might be said that 
if, instead of carping at me, she had taken my side, it 
would have been useful to me. 

30th. I must admit that I was spoiled; I always gave 
orders; from my birth power was mine, I already re- 
jected a master or a law. 

November 6th. I was always searching for a man for my 
navy, without ever finding him. That business has about 
it a certain technicality, a certain specialness, that always 
held up my plans. The instant I put forward any new 
idea, immediately Ganteaume and the whole of the naval 
section were on my back. — Sire, you can't do that. — 
And why ? — I was pulled up sharp. How can one main- 
tain a discussion with people who speak a different Ian- 



488 THE CORSICAN [I8I6 

guage ? How often have I reproached them with the abuse 
of this in the Council of State ? To hear them one 
would have to be born in the na\y to understand any- 
thing about it. It was in vain I struggled, I had to give 
in to their unanimity, not, however, without warning 
them that I left it on their consciences. 

9th. Sidney Smith is a brave officer. He is active, 
intelligent, intriguing, and indefatigable; but I believe 
that he is half insane. Had it not been for that, I would 
have taken Acre in spite of him. He dispersed proclama- 
tions amongst my troops, which certainly shook some of 
them, and I therefore published an order stating that 
he was mad, and forbidding all communication with him. 
Some days after he sent, by means of a flag of truce, a 
lieutenant with a letter containing a challenge to me to 
meet him at some place he pointed out, in order to fight 
a duel. I laughed at this and sent him back an intimation 
that when he brought Marlborough to fight with me, I 
would meet him. Notwithstanding this, I like the char- 
acter of the man. 

11th. Democracy may run mad, but it has a heart, it 
can be moved; an aristocracy always remains cold, and 
never forgives. 

16th. I am assured that it is through (Wellington) that 
I am here, and I believe it. I certainly gave him a bad 
quarter of an hour. That usually would appeal to a great 
soul; but his has not responded. Ah! old Bliicher was 
worth a fine candle; without him I don't know where 
His Grace would be now; but at all events I would not be 
here. 

25th. I have spent the day working out fortification 



^T.47] A DIARY 489 

problems with Bertrand, and it has seemed a very short 
one. 

December 11th. I have never witnessed such a passion 
as that of Berthier for Mme. Visconti! In Egypt he 
would gaze at the moon at the very instant that she was 
doing the same. In the midst of the desert there was a 
tent sacred to her; her portrait was there, and he burned 
incense in front of it. Three mules were told off to carry 
it and the baggage. I would often go in, throwing myself 
on the sofa in my boots. It made Berthier furious; to him 
it was the desecration of his sanctuary. He loved her so 
that he would stir me up to speak of her although I al- 
ways abused her; he didn't mind, he was delighted to be 
able to talk about her. If I had left him as commander- 
in-chief in Egypt, he would have evacuated the country 
immediately. 

11th. My dear Count Las Cases, I am touched by 
what you are suffering; dragged from my side two weeks 
ago, you are locked up, unable to communicate or to re- 
ceive communications, or even to have your own servant 
with you. I am gratified to have this opportunity of saying 
that your conduct at St. Helena has been, like your whole 
life, honourable and without reproach. Your company was 
a necessity for me. You alone read, speak, understand 
English. How often have you watched by me through 
nights of illness? However, I advise you, and if necessary 
order you, to ask the governor of this place to send you 
back to Europe. It would be a consolation for me to know 
that you were on your way to happier climes. If, some day, 
you should see my wife and my son, embrace them; it is 
now two years since I heard from them, directly or in- 
directly. 



490 THE CORSICAN [18I6-17 

Console yourself, and console my friends. My body, it 
is true, is delivered over to the hatred of my enemies; 
they omit nothing that may satisfj'^ their revenge; they 
are killing me by pin pricks; but Providence will not per- 
mit this to continue much longer. 

As all the indications are that you will not be allowed 
to see me before you leave, receive my embrace, the as- 
surance of my esteem and of my friendship. Be happy! 
Your devoted, Napoleon. 

29th. This governor is totally unfit to fill the situation 
he holds. He would employ cunning in saying, Good-day! 
I think he would eat his breakfast the same way. 

30th. Ah, Warden, how do you do ? 

I certainly enjoy a good state of health. With respect 
to the English language I have been very diligent: I now 
read your newspapers with ease. In one paper I am called 
a liar, in another a tyrant, in a third a monster, and in 
one of them, which I really did not expect, a coward! 

Janvary 1st, 1817. To bear misfortune was the only 
thing wanting to my fame. I have worn the imperial crown 
of France, the iron crown of Italy; England has now given 
me a greater and more glorious one, — for it is that worn 
by the Saviour of the world, — the crown of thorns. 

6th. What is electricity, galvanism, magnetism? There 
lies the great secret of nature. Galvanism works in silence. 
I believe that man is the product of these fluids and of 
the atmosjjhere; that the brain pumps in these fluids 
and produces life; that the soul is made up of them, and 
that after death they return to the ether whence other 
brains pump them. 

9th. The Paris police terrifies more than il hurls. The 



iET.47] A DIARY 491 

post-office is a good source of information, but I am not 
sure that the advantage compensates the evil. It was not 
possible to read every letter, but those of the persons I 
specified and of my ministers were unsealed. Fouche, 
Talleyrand, never wrote; but their friends, their creatures, 
wrote, and by (such a person's) letter one could see what 
Talleyrand or Fouche had in mind. 

February 3d. The Bishop of Nantes was an excellent 
confessor for Maria Louisa; he gave her good advice, 
explained how it was I could eat meat on fast days, and 
when I pushed the Empress hard she would tell me all 
that passed between them. Fesch said to her: If he eats 
meat, throw your plate at his head ! — And Fesch would 
more likely have made me a Turk than a Christian. If 
I had had to be converted, I think that the Bishop of 
Nantes is the only man who could have succeeded; but 
I have read too much history and handled too many 
religions for that! 

6th. My life here, were we in Europe and were I not a 
slave, would suit me very well. I would like to live in the 
country and develop my estate. It is the best life there 
is : a sick sheep supplies food for conversation. At the 
island of Elba, with plenty of money and means of enter- 
taining, living in the midst of the scientific men of Europe 
as their centre, I would have been very happy. 

28th. He must indeed be a barbarian who would deny 
to a husband and a father the consolation of conversing 
with a person who had lately seen, spoken to, and touched 
his wife and child, from whose embraces he is for ever 
separated by the cruel policy of a few. The Anthro- 
pophagi of the South Seas would not do it. Previous to 



492 THE CORSICAN [isi? 

devouring their victims, they would allow them the con- 
solation of seeing and conversing with each other. The 
cruelties which are practised here would be disavowed 
by cannibals! 

Nature in forming some men, intended that they should 
always remain in a subordinate situation. Such was Ber- 
thier. There was not so good a chief of staff in the world; 
but change his occupation, and he was not fit to command 
five hundred men. 

March 3d. In spite of all the libels, I have no fear what- 
ever about my fame. Posterity will do me justice. The 
truth will be known; and the good I have done will be 
compared with the faults I have committed. I am not 
uneasy as to the result. Had I succeeded, I would have 
died with the reputation of the greatest man that ever 
existed. As it is, although I have failed, I shall be con- 
sidered as an extraordinary man: my elevation was 
unparalleled, because unaccompanied by crime. I have 
fought fifty pitched battles, almost all of which I have 
won. I have framed and carried into effect a code of 
laws that will bear my name to the most distant poster- 
ity. I raised myself from nothing to be the most powerful 
monarch in the world. Europe was at my feet. I have 
always been of opinion that the sovereignty lay in the 
people. In fact, the imperial government was a kind of 
republic. Called to the head of it by the voice of the 
nation, my maxim was, la carricre est ouvcrie aux ialens 
without distinction of birth or fortune, and this system 
of equality is the reason that your oligarchy hates me so 
much. 

6th. I was afraid there was bad news about my wife. 



iET.47] A DIARY 493 

Perhaps it 's about my son; when you go into town to- 
morrow, try to see all the papers, and read them carefully. 

April 3d. You English are aristocrats. You keep a 
great distance between yourselves and the popolo. Nature 
formed all men equal. It was always my custom to go 
amongst the soldiers and the rabble, to converse with 
them, hear their little histories, and speak kindly to 
them. This I found to be of the greatest benefit to me. 

May 3d. Once for all. Admiral, I am bound to tell you 
what I think. With you English a foreigner is always a 
dog; one can expect neither help nor politeness. What! 
There was a botanist here, who had seen my wife and my 
child, and he was forbidden to give me any news of them; 
he is being prosecuted because he gave my valet a lock 
of my son's hair ! If Hudson Lowe asks to see me, I shall 
refuse ! 

5th. Yes, I tasted happiness as First Consul, at the 
time of my marriage, of the birth of the King of Rome; 
but I was not quite secure then. Perhaps Tilsit was the 
(best) moment; I had had difficulties, worries, Eylau 
among others, and I was victorious, imposing my will, 
with emperors and kings to court me! Perhaps I felt 
more after my victories in Italy; what enthusiasm, what 
cheers for the liberator of Italy! At twenty -five years of 
age ! From that moment I foresaw what I might become ! 
I could see the world moving from under my footsteps as 
though I were sailing through the air. 

16th. When I was at Tilsit with the Emperor Alexander 
and the King of Prussia, I was the most ignorant of the 
three in military affairs ! These two sovereigns, especially 
the King of Prussia, were completely au fait as to the 



494 THE CORSICAN [1817 

number of buttons there ought to be in front of a jacket, 
how many behind, and the manner in which the skirts 
ought to be cut. Not a tailor in the army knew better 
than King Frederick how many measures of cloth it 
took to make a jacket. In fact, I was nobody in compar- 
ison with them. They continually tormented me with 
questions about matters belonging to tailors, of which I 
was entirely ignorant, though, in order not to aflFront 
them, I answered just as gravely as if the fate of an army 
depended upon the cut of a jacket. The King of Prussia 
changed his fashion every day. He was a tall, dry looking 
fellow, and would give a good idea of Don Quixote. At 
Jena, his army performed the finest and most showy ma- 
noeuvres possible, but I soon put a stop to their coglionerie, 
and taught them that to fight and to execute dazzling 
manoeuvres and wear splendid uniforms were very dif- 
ferent affairs. If the French army had been commanded 
by a tailor, the King of Prussia would certainly have 
gained the day, from his superior knowledge in that art! 

Women, when they are bad, are worse than men. The 
softer sex, when degraded, falls lower than the other. 
Women are always much better or much worse than men. 

21st. I can't sleep. 

23d. Gourgaud, my friend, I can't walk any longer. 

June 2d. A singular thing about me is my memory. 
As a boy I knew the logarithms of thirty or forty numbers; 
in France I not only knew the names of the officers of all 
the regiments, but where the corps had been recruited, 
had distinguished themselves; I even knew their spirit. 

3d. The 32d demi-brigade would have laid down its 
life for me because, after Lonato, I wrote: The 32d was 



^T. 47] A DIARY 495 

there: I was easy. — The influence of words over men is 
astounding ! 

13th. My own opinion is that I ought to have died at 
Waterloo; perhaps a Httle earlier. Had I died at Moscow, 
I should probably have had the reputation of the greatest 
conqueror ever known. But the smiles of fortune were 
at an end. The misfortune is that when a man seeks 
the most for death, he cannot find it. Men were killed 
around me, before, behind, everywhere, but no bullet 
for me. 

14th. Marching on Landshut I met Bessieres retreat- 
ing. I ordered him to march forward. He objected that 
the enemy were in force. — Go ahead, — said I, and he 
advanced. The enemy seeing him take the offensive 
thought he was stronger than they and retreated. In war 
that is the way everything goes. It is moral force more 
than numbers that wins the victory. 

17th. Hudson Lowe says that I am the most subtle 
man in the world. I know how to put on a mild little ex- 
pression when I want to get around anybody. That is how 
I won over O'Meara. I shammed sick to receive Lord 
Amherst so that, as he was just leaving, the governor 
couldn't undo the effect of all that I had said to him; I 
won his Lordship, whom I knew to be a not very intelli- 
gent person. 

I wish to have no relations with Sir Hudson. Let him 
leave me in peace, for in ages to come his children will 
blush at their own name. Ah! good Heavens! how mis- 
taken you are, nobody could be less subtle than I ! On the 
contrary, my failing is that I am too easy-going. Ah! 
rascally governor! 



496 THE CORSICAN [1817 

August 2d. Hudson Lowe formerly thought that no- 
thing which passed here would be known in Europe. 
He might as well have attempted to obscure the light of 
the sun with his hat. There are still millions in the world 
who are interested in me. 

It is not the coat makes the gaoler, but manners and 
point of view. 

24th. Misfortunes, you see, follow one another, and 
when misfortune comes, everything goes wrong. If only 
the battle of Vittoria had come earlier I would have 
signed peace, but it came at the very moment when I was 
bound not to. When the Allies saw that I had lost the 
battle, my artillery, my baggage, and that the English 
were marching into France, they concluded that I was 
lost. The French did not do much for me then. At the 
time of Cannse the Romans redoubled their efforts, but 
that was because every individual stood in fear of death, 
of rape, of pillage. That is making war, but in modern 
campaigns everything is sprinkled with rosewater. 
^ 28th. Jesus was hanged, like so many fanatics who 
posed as a prophet, a messiah; there were several every 
year. What is certain is that at that epoch opinion was 
setting towards a single God, and those who first preached 
the doctrine were well received: circumstances made for 
it. It is just like in my case, sprung from the lower ranks 
of society I became an emperor, because circumstances, 
opinion, were with me. 

September 3d, If (Hudson Lowe) had his will, he would 
order me to breakfast at a certain hour, dine at another, 
go to bed at a time prescribed by him, and come himself 
to sec it carried into execution. All will fall upon himself 



MT.m, A DIARY 497 

one day. He does not realize that what happens here will 
be recorded in history. 

28th. O'Meara bearded Hudson Lowe and told him 
that in his opinion I had not six months to live. It's a 
good thing to have such a witness, it annoys the governor. 

29th. St. Napoleon ought to be very much obliged to 
me, and do everything in his power for me in the world to 
come. Poor fellow; nobody knew him before. He had not 
even a day in the calendar. I got him one, and persuaded 
the Pope to give him the fifteenth of August, my birth- 
day. 

November 2d. I could listen to the intelligence of the 
death of my wife, of my son, or of all my family, without 
a change of feature. Not the slightest sign of emotion, or 
alteration of countenance, would be visible. Everything 
would appear indifferent and calm. But when alone in 
my room, then I suffer. Then the feelings of the man 
burst forth. 

30th. The King of Bavaria did not wish to give his 
daughter to Eugene, declaring that he did not know what 
adoption meant, and that he could only consider him as 
Viscount de Beauharnais. Josephine had had to put up 
with some slights at Munich, where they openly discussed 
in her presence the affection between the princess and the 
Prince of Baden. When I reached Munich the Elector 
came to see me in my study with a veiled lady. He raised 
the veil; it was his daughter; I found her charming, and 
was, I confess, somewhat embarrassed. I made the young 
woman sit down, and afterwards read a lecture to her 
governess. Should princesses fall in love ? They are 
merely political merchandise. 



498 THE CORSICAN [1817-18 

The Queen of Bavaria was pretty, I enjoyed her society. 
One hunting-day the King started early, I promised to 
join him, but I went to see the Queen and staid an hour 
and a half. It caused talk, and the King was very angry, 
and when they met again he scolded her. She replied: 
Should I have shown him the door ? I paid dear for my 
gallantry afterwards, for they followed me on my journey 
to Italy, where they were always after me; they had car- 
riages that were breaking down every minute: I had to 
take them into mine; they were with me at Venice, yet, 
in reality, I was not annoyed because it gave me a fol- 
lowing of kings. 

December 21st. Whatever they say, I can make or un- 
make the reputation of the governor. All I choose to say 
of him, of his bad behaviour, of his ideas of poisoning me, 
will be believed. 

25th. War is a singular art; I can assure you that 
fighting sixty battles taught me nothing I did not know 
at the first one. The essential quality of the general is 
firmness, and that is a gift from heaven. 

January 7th, 1818. What I admire in Alexander the 
Great is not his campaigns, which we have no means of 
judging, but his political instinct. His going to Amnion 
was a profound political stroke; he thereby conquered 
Egypt. Had I remained in the East, I would probably 
have founded an Empire, like Alexander, by going to 
Mecca as a pilgrim, where I would have bowed the 
knee and offered prayers, but only if it had been worth 
while! 

ISth. What weariness every day! What martyr- 
dom! 



^T.48] A DIARY 499 

29th. To be a good general a man must know mathe- 
matics; it is of daily help in straightening one's ideas. 
Perhaps I owe my success to my mathematical concep- 
tions; a general must never imagine things, that is the 
most fatal of all. My great talent, the thing that marks 
me most, is that I see things clearly; it is the same with 
my_eloc[uence, for I can distinguish what is essential in a 
question from every angle. The great art in battle is 
to change the line of operations during the course of 
the engagement; that is an idea of my own, and quite 
new. y 

The art of war does not require complicated ma- 
noeuvres ; the simplest are the best, and common sense is 
fundamental. From which one might wonder how it is 
generals make blunders; it is because they try to be clever. 
The most diflScult thing is to guess the enemy's plan, to 
sift the truth from all the reports that come in. The rest 
merely requires common sense; it 's like a boxing-match, 
the more you punch the better it is. It is also necessary to 
read the map well. 

February 18th. You have the impudence to talk of the 
conscription in France; it wounds your pride because it 
fell upon all ranks. Oh, how shocking, that a gentleman's 
son should be obliged to defend his country, just as if he 
were one of the mob ! 

The conscription did not crush a particular class like 
your press-gang, nor the rabble, because they were poor. 
My rabble would have become the best educated in the 
world. All my exertions were directed to illuminate the 
mass of the nation instead of brutalizing them by igno- 
rance and superstition. 



500 THE CORSICAN [1818 

May 14th. (To O'Meara.) So you are going to leave 
us, doctor ? Will the world believe that they have been 
cowardly enough to attack my doctor ? 

July 25th. (To O'Meara.) The crime will be accom- 
plished more quickly. I have lived too long for them. 
Your ministry does not lack courage; when the Pope was 
in France, I would sooner have cut off my right arm than 
have signed an order for the removal of his surgeon. 

When you arrive in Europe you will either go yourself 
or send to my brother Joseph. You will inform him that 
I desire that he shall give you the parcel containing the 
private and confidential letters of the Emperors Alexander 
and Francis, the King of Prussia, and the other sovereigns 
of Europe, which I delivered to his care at Rochefort. 
You will publish them, to cover those sovereigns with 
shame. When I was strong, and in power, they begged 
for my protection, and licked the dust from under my 
feet. Now, in my old age, they basely oppress me, and 
take my wife and child from me. Farewell, O'Meara, we 
shall never meet again. Be happy! 

September 26th. Place that dear child next to his 
mother, there, on the right, nearer to my chimney. You 
recognise her by her colour: it's Marie Louise; she holds 
her son in her arms. And the other, — you recognise it ? 
It's the Prince Imperial. The other two are of Josephine: 
I loved her so dearly ! You are examining that big clock ? 
It was the great Frederick's alarum; I took it from Pots- 
dam, — that was all Prussia was worth ! My mantelpiece 
is not very sumptuous, as you see. My son's bust, two 
chandeliers, two silver gilt cups, two decanters for eau 
de Cologne, nail scissors, a small lookingglass. It is far 



^T.50] A DIARY 501 

from the splendour of the Tuileries: but what of it, if I 
have fallen from power, I have not lost my glory. — I 
keep my memories. 

September 23, 1819. Well, doctor, what do you think 
of it ? Am I likely to disturb the monarchs' digestions 
much longer ? 

(Antommarchi : You will survive them, sire.) 

No, doctor, the work of the English is nearly done, the 
mainspring is broken. 

28th. I close my door to your drugs until to-morrow. 
I have some problems of algebra to work out. 

October 4th. My country! my country! If only St. 
Helena were France I could be happy on this accursed 
rock. 

Ah! doctor, where is the blue sky of Corsica .? Fate 
has decided that I must not see again the scenes to which 
the memories of childhood recall me. 

5th. Dottoraccio di Capo Corso! Leave me alone ? Go 
out without my permission ? You are a novice, so I forgive 
you; but neither the Grand Marshal nor General Mon- 
tholon, would have gone out until I had given them 
leave. 

14th. I am uncomfortable: I would like to sleep, read, 
do something or other. Here is Racine, doctor; you are 
on the stage; come; I am listening, — Andromache. It's 
the play of unhappy fathers. 

("I went to the spot where is kept my son. 
Whom once in each day you permit me to see. 
All, all that is left both of Hector and Troy; 
I went there to mingle my tears with his, 
I had not yet embraced him to-day — ") 



502 THE CORSICAN [1819-20 

Doctor, it moves me too much, — leave me ! 

28th. My patent of nobihty dates from Millesimo, 
from RivoU. My family's is older. Only the genealogist 
Joseph can trice its origin; he pretends that we descend 
from I don't know how many obscure tyrants. After my 
reverses, I was only a Jacobin. 

November 18th. What can I do? 

(Antommarchi : Exercise !) 

Where ? Among the redcoats ? Never ! — How else ? 
Hoeing the earth ? Yes, doctor, you are right; I will hoe 
the earth. 

July 26th, 1820. You are very attached to me, doctor; 
you spare nothing to relieve me; but all that is not the 
same as a mother's care. Ah ! mamma Letizia ! 

August 10th. Has a man the right to kill himself ? Yes, 
if his death injures no one, and if life is a burden to him. 
When is life a burden to a man ? When it yields him 
only suflFering and grief. But as suffering and grief 
change constantly, there can be no moment at which a 
man has the right to kill himself. That moment could 
only be at death's very door, because onlj^ then could 
it be proved that life was but a tissue of affliction and 
suffering. 

September 18th. Happiness lies in sleep; our necessities 
disappear with insomnia. 

October 2d. The second book of the iEneid is considered 
the masterpiece of that epic; it deserves its reputation 
from the point of view of style, but not at all from that 
of realism. The wooden horse may come from a popular 
tradition, but the tradition was absurd and unworthy of 
an epic poem. There is nothing of the sort in the Iliad, 



iET.5i] A DIARY 503 

where everything conforms to reality and to the practice 
of war. 

14th. The art of medicine, my dear doctor, is none 
other than that of putting the imagination to sleep, of 
soothing it. That is why the ancients decked themselves 
out in robes and gowns that catch the eye and impose on 
one. You have given up the gown, and it is a mistake. 
Who knows ? If you yourself appeared before me sud- 
denly with an enormous wig, a toque, a trailing robe, I 
might take you for the god of health, although you are 
only that of drugs. 

22d. My power lasted only a flash of time, but never 
mind, it was full, it was gorged with useful institutions; I 
consecrated the revolution; I infused it into our laws. 

25th. Perhaps death will soon put a term to my suffer- 
ings. 

27th. Well, doctor, how do you think I am ? a little 
better ? The fact is the pills — They have done their 
work — The devil ! doctor, you preach the (doctrine of) 
pills with more unction than they do that of legitimity 
nowadays. Do you take any yourself ? 

(Antommarchi : Sire, there are well-tested drugs.) 

Like those Corvisart used to give the Empress, bread- 
crumb pills that worked miracles just the same. Marie 
Louise used to praise their good effects to me every day. 
They are all the same. 

(Antommarchi: No, sire.) 

Eh! but I belong to your shop too! I have practised! 
Water, air, cleanliness, that was the foundation of my 
dispensary. I never got much beyond those remedies. 
You laugh at my methods ? All right, laugh away. 



504 THE CORSICAN [1820 

Your colleagues in Egypt did just the same; but experi- 
ence proved that my flannel and brush were more use 
than their pills. 

November 16th. Well, doctor, is this the end ? — I am 
going to get well, I suppose ? A doctor would rather die 
than not try to persuade a dying man that he is not ill ! — 
What, pills ? A quinine mixture, like at Mantua ? 

19th. What a pleasant thing is rest! My bed has be- 
come a place of happiness for me; I would not exchange 
it for all the thrones of the universe. What a change! 
How I have fallen! I, whose activity knew no bounds, 
whose mind never slumbered! I am plunged in a stupor, 
in a lethargy; I have to make an effort to raise my eyelids. 

December 8th. Desaix was devoted, generous, tor- 
mented by the thirst for glory; his death was one of my 
misfortunes. He was skilful, alert, bold; he made light of 
fatigue, and even less of death: he would have followed 
victory to the ends of the earth. Brave Desaix! 

26th. You want to get me into the garden ? Very well. 
— I am very weak, my trembling legs will hardly hold 
me up. 

Ah, doctor, how tired I am! I feel this fresh air I 
breathe is doing me good. Never having been sick, never 
having taken medicine, I can hardly have an opinion 
about such matters; the state I am now in appears in fact 
so extraordinary to me that I can scarcely realize it. 

The newspapers report the death of Princess Elisa. 
Well, you see, Elisa points the way; death which appeared 
to have forgotten our family, has begun to strike it; my 
turn cannot be long delayed. The first of our family who 
will follow Elisa to the grave is that great Napoleon who 



MT.51] A DIARY 505 

is bending under his load and who yet keeps Europe in 
alarm. 

January 22d, 1821. Will you not confess that I am 
right, dottoraccio maledetto ? Is not my medicine better 
than yours ? These cursed doctors are all the same; 
when they want their patient to do anything they de- 
ceive him, and frighten him. Isn't it time, dottoraccio? 
— Well, all right; we must obey the faculty. 

February 15th. Were you at Milan when I assumed the 
Iron Crown ? And when I went to Venice ? Venice had 
put all her gondolas on the water, and fringes, and plumes, 
and stuffs; all that was lovely and fashionable had gath- 
ered at Fusine. Never had the Adriatic witnessed a more 
gorgeous procession. 

March 15th. Ah, doctor, how I suffer! 

26th. A consultation ? What 's the good ? You are all 
blind playing with the blind. Another doctor would not 
see any better than you can what is going on in my body. 
In any case, who is there to consult ? Englishmen who 
would be under the influence of Hudson Lowe ? I won't 
have them; I have already said so; I prefer that the in- 
iquity should be accomplished. 

29th. Quod scriptum scriptum; can you doubt, doctor, 
that all that happens to us is written, that our hour is 
marked ? 

(Antommarchi: But, sire, your medicine!) 

It is incredible how I dislike medicine! I could face 
danger with indifference, and see death without a tremor, 
but, however great an effort I make, I cannot put to my 
lips a cup with the least medicine in it. 

30th. Kleber ! He was the god Mars in uniform ! 



50G THE CORSICAN [1821 

April 2d. A comet! It was the omen foretold the death 
of Caesar! • 

5th. Ah, why did the bullets spare my life if it was only 
to lose it in this wretched way ? 

6th. I have always shaved myself, never has any person 
placed a hand on my cheek. Now that I am helpless, I 
must make up my mind to it. 

12th. Thanks for your services, doctor; it's lost labour. 

Doctor Arnott, don't people die of weakness ? How 
can a man live eating so little ? 

13th. (Antommarchi with pills.) 

Are they well wrapped up, covered ? They won't poison 
my mouth ? Really ? (To Marchand.) Well, here you are, 
rascal, swallow them. He needed medicine, didn't he, 
doctor, and my pills will do him good ? Give him some 
more now; as for me, I won't touch them again. 

15th. I have nothing but satisfaction to express with my 
beloved wife, Maria Louisa; I shall retain my tender sen- 
timents for her till my last breath; I beg her to watch and 
protect my son from the pitfalls that still surround his 
young days. 

I bequeath to my son the objects specified in the sched- 
ule hereto. I hope this slight legacy will be dear to him, 
as recalling the memory of a father whom the Mhole 
world will tell him of. 

Marchand will keep my hair, and will have a bracelet 
made of it that is to be sent to the Empress Maria Louisa. 

16th. I wish my ashes to rest by the banks of the 
Seine, in the midst of the people of France whom I loved 
so dearly. 



MT.51] A DIARY 507 

I have written too much. Ah, what suffering! What 
oppression! I feet at the left end of the stomach a pain 
that is unbearable. — You ought to marry, doctor. 
Marry an Englishwoman, her ice-cold blood will moderate 
the fire that devours you; you will become less obstinate. 
— Give me the potion ! 

19th. You are not mistaken, my friends, I am better 
to-day; but none the less I feel the end drawing near. 
When I am dead you will all have the sweet consola- 
tion of returning to Europe. You will see your relatives, 
your friends there, while I shall meet the brave in the 
Elysian Fields. I will relate the last events of my life 
to them. 

21st. I was born in the Catholic faith, I wish to carry 
out the duties it imposes and to receive the consolation it 
gives. 

24th. I have written too much, doctor; I am collapsing, 
I can't go on. 

25th. (To M. Lafitte.) Monsieur Lafitte: I handed 
you, in 1815, as I was leaving Paris, a sum of six millions 
for which you gave me a duplicate receipt; I have can- 
celled one, and I charge Count Montholon to present the 
other to you, in order that you may hand the said sum to 
him after my death. 

28th. After my death, which cannot be far off, I want 
my body to be opened; I also want, I exact, that no Eng- 
lish doctor shall touch me. I further wish you to take my 
heart, place it in spirits of wine, and take it to my dear 
Marie Louise at Parma. You will tell her that I loved her 
tenderly, you will relate to her all you have seen, all that 
concerns my situation here, and my death. 



508 THE CORSICAN [i82i 

May 2d, 2 a.m.: 

Steingel! Desaix! Massena! Ah, victory is ours; go, 
haste, press home the charge; they are ours! 

3d, 3 P. M.: 

You have shared my exile, you will be faithful to my 
memory, you will do nothing to injure it. 

5th. 5.30 P.M.: 

. . . head . . . army . . . 

5.60 P.M.: 

THE END 



APPENDIX 



APPENDIX I 

NAPOLEONIC TITLES 



Joseph Bonaparte, 
Louis Bonaparte, 
Jerome Bonaparte, 
Caroline Bonaparte, 

EuGiiNE BeAUHARNAIS, 



King of Naples, and King of Spain. 

King of Holland. 

King of Westphalia. 

Queen of Naples. 

Viceroy of Italy. 
Hortense Beauharnais, Queen of Holland. 
Joachim Murat, Grand Duke of Berg, and King of Naples. 



Augereau, 


Duke of Castiglione. 


Bernadotte, 


Prince of Ponte Corvo, and Crown Prince of 




Sweden. 


Berthier, 


Prince of Neuchatel, and Prince of Wagram. 


Bessieres, 


Duke of Istria. 


Caulaincourt, 


Duke of Vicenza. 


Champagny, 


Duke of Cadore. 


Clarke, 


Duke of Feltre. 


Davout, 


Duke of Auerstadt, and Prince of Eckmiihl. 


Drouet, 


Count d'Erlon. 


DUROC, 


Duke of Friuli. 


FoTJCHfe, 


Duke of Otranto. 


JUNOT, 


Duke of Abrantes. 


Kellermann, 


Duke of Valmy. 


Lannes, 


Duke of Montebello. 


Lefebvre, 


Duke of Dantzig. 


Macdonald, 


Duke of Taranto. 


Maret, 


Duke of Bassano. 


Marmont, 


Duke of Ragusa. 


MASsilNA, 


Duke of Rivoli, and Prince of Essling. 


MONCET, 


Duke of Conegliano. 


MORTIER, 


Duke of Treviso. 


MOUTON, 


Count of Lobau. 


Net, 


Duke of Elchingen, and Prince of the Mos- 




kowa. 


OUDINOT, 


Duke of Reggio. 


Savart, 


Duke of Rovigo. 


SOULT, 


Duke of Dalmatia. 


SUCHET, 


Duke of Albufera. 


Talleyrand, 


Prince of Benevento. 


Victor, » 


Duke of Belluno. 



APPENDIX II 
THE BONAPARTE MARRIAGES 



Charles Bonaparte } 
Letizia Ramolino > 



-Joseph m. Julie Clary. 

Desiree Clary m. Bernadotte. 

— Napoleon m. (1) Josephine Beauhamais. 
(2) Marie Louise. 
I 
King of Rome. 

— Lucien. 

— ^Louis m. Hortense Beauhamais. 

— Jerome m. (1) Miss Patterson. 

(2) Catherine of Wiirtemberg. 

— Ehsa 771. Prince Baciocchi. 

— Pauline m. (1) Gen. Leclerc. 

(2) Prince Borghese. 

— Caroline, m. Joachim Mural. 



Josephine Beauharnais 
I 

(1) Eugene, m. Augusta of Bavaria. 

(2) Hortense, m. Louis Bonaparte. 



INDEX 



Abbatucci, 40. 

Abdallah-Aga, 94. 

Abeille, 442, 446. 

Abensberg, 310. 

Abou Bekr, 100. 

Aboukir, 81, 84, 85, 101-104. 

Acqui, 24, 25. 

Acre, St. John of, 87, 93, 95-99, 106, 
473, 488. 

Actium, 482. 

Adige, 30. 

Adriatic, 232. 

Africa, 288. 

Aichach, 209. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, 187. 

Aix-en-Provence, 106. 

Ajaccio, 3, 6, 10, 1*05. 

Ala, 41. 

Albaredo, 49. 

Albeck, 214. 

Albenga, 191. 

Albitte, 12, 13. 

Albufera, Duke of, see Suchet. 

Alessandria, 22, 24, 135, 136, 197. 

Alexander, Czar, 143, 153, 154, 168, 196, 
216, 269, 274-276, 280, 284, 285, 297, 298, 
327, 330, 336, 338, 344, 348, 355, 356, 
370, 382, 383, 437, 438, 472, 493, 494. 

Alexander the Great, 485, 498. 

Alexandria, 78, 79, 84, 85, 90, 91, 101, 
104, 167. 

Allenstein, 271. 

Alquier, 152, 279. 

Alt Reichau, 271 

Alvintzy, 49, 52, 55. 

Ambleteuse, 170, 172, 174, 175, 185, 195. 

Amherst, 495. 

Amiens, 163, 168, 170. 

Amsterdam, 253-255, 411, 486. 

Ancona, 46, 56, 57, 85. 

Andr^ossy, 104. 

Andromaque, 420, 501. 

Anger, 479. 

Anghiari, 54. 

Annonay, 156. 

Antommarchi, 501-507. 

Anspach, 225. 

Antonio, Don, 289. 



Antwerp, 340, 486. 

Aosta, 129, 132. 

Arabic, 75. 

Aranda, 300, 301. 

Areola, 49, 50, 110. 

Armies, 485. 

Arnott, 506. 

Art, 162, 163, 201. 

Artois, Count d', 165. 

Aspern, 312, 313. 

Astorga, 303-305. 

Astronomy, 9. 

Asturias, Prince of, see Ferdinand 

VII. 
Astyanax, 420, 435. 
Aube, 430. 
Aubert, 263. 
Audenar de, 328. 
Augereau, 30, 36-40, 47-49, 52, 54, 66-68, 

110, 188, 238, 239, 242, 245, 261, 326, 

391, 400, 427, 428, 441. 
Augsburg, 209-211, 214. 
Augusta, Princess, 222-225, 236, 257, 

265, 280, 497. 
Augustus, Prince, of Prussia, 249, 283. 
Auma, 243. 
Austerlitz, 216-219, 243, 273, 274, 380, 

475, 485. 
Austria, 294, 306, 386. 
Auxonne, 6-8. 
Avesnes, 452, 455, 456. 

Baden, 209, 220. 

Bagration, 350. 

Baking, 85. 

Bale, 412. 

Bamberg, 238-240. 

Bank, 229. 

Baraguay d'Hilliers, 64, 65, 361. 

Baran, 362. 

Barb6 Marbois, 202. 

Barbier, 293, 336, 351, 464. 

Barclay de Tolly, 383. 

Bard, Fort, 131, 132. 

Barras, 14, 17, 18, 68, 109, 

Barth^lemy, 62. 

Bassano, 41, 58. 

Bassano, Duke of, see Maret. 



514 



INDEX 



IJataille, 279. 

Bathurst, 484. 

Bautzen, 382-385, 393-397. 

Bavaria, Max. Jos., King of, 224, 241, 
307, 497, 498. 

Bavaria, Queen of, 498. 

Bavaria, Princess Augusta, see Au- 
gusta. 

liayonne, 281, 285, 287, 299, 48G. 

Bayreuth, 241. 

Beaucaire, 11. 

Beauharnais, Vcte de, 66. 

Beauharnais, M. de, 286. 

Bcauharnai.s, Eugene, see Eugfene. 

Beauharnais, Hortense, see Hortense. 

Beauharnais, Josephine, see Jose- 
phine. 

Beaulieu, 20-24, 27, 31. 

Beaumont, 456. 

Beaumont, Col., see Murat. 

Beauvoisin, 165. 

Beker, 465. 

Belbeys, 90. 

Belfort, 412. 

Bellegarde, 61. 

BeUerophon, 465, 466. 

Belliard, 72, 416. 

Belluno, Duke of. see Victor, 

Benavente, 303, 304. 

Benevento, Prince of, see Talleyrand. 

Benezette, 122. 

Bennigsen, 258. 

Berezina, 362-305, 367. 

Berg, 228, 371. 

Berg, (irand Duke of, see Murat. 

Berlin, 242, 243, ^49, 344, 373, 374, 381, 
385, 393. 

Bernadotte, 59, 72, 83, 107, 108, 134, 
156, 193, 211, 215, 232, 239, 245, 247- 
260, 259, 271, 284, 317, 432. 

Bernardin de St. Pierre, 470. 

Berthier, 19, 25, 27, 28, 37, 40, 48, 53, 
59, T2, 88, 94, 104, 121, 125-129, 132- 
139, 178, 188, 193, 194, 225, 230, 236, 
263, 284, 299, 302, 307, 308, 319, 329, 
336, 343, 344, .3-16-353, 357-3G2, 365, 
367-369, 391, 392, 396-400, 413, 416, 
424, 433, 4.36-4.i8, 489, 492. 

Berthollet, 32, 104, 338. 

Bertrand, .370, 379, 387, 400, 4M, 442- 
444, 447, 440, 452, 488. 

Berry-au-l)ac, 432. 

Borry, Duke of, 179. 

Berwick, 53. 

BcHentonay, 102. 



Bessiferes, 55, 138, 147, 237, 261, 288, 

289, 293, 300, 343, 358, 360, 467, 495. 
Bezu, 431. 
Bianchi, 426. 
Bible, 479. 
lliccoca, 21. 
Biechenkovitchi, 350. 
Bigot de Pr6ameneu, 144. 
Billon, 17. 
Binasco, 28, 29. 
Binitsa, 365. 
Birket, 101, 102. 
Black Forest, 208. 
Blake, 300. 
Blankenberghe, 171. 
Blenheim, 88. 
Bliicher, 249, 250, 382, 400-403, 415, 

417, 421, 423, 427, 428, 430, 432, 488. 
Bobr, 362. 

Bologna, 25, 31, 32, 34, 45, 56, 67. 
Bon. 49, 88. 93. 

Bonaparte, House of, 200, 201. 
Bonaparte, Caroline, 190, 371. 
Bonaparte, Charles, 3, 4. 
Bonaparte, Eliza, 341, 342, 504. 
Bonaparte, Jerome, 146, 153, 160, 195, 

196, 269, 279, 282, 284, 314, 317, 345, 

455. 
Bonaparte, Joseph, 3, 15, 17, 43, 83, 

93, 133, 153, 156, 163, 166, 188, 191, 

215, 222, 227, 228, 231-237, 254, 259, 

202, 267, 269, 282, 292-206, 299-305, 

369, 414-416, 419, 420, 430, 433, 435, 

461, 500, 501. 
Bonaparte, Letizia, 4, 195, 442, 443, 

478, 479, 502. 
Bonaparte, Louis, 7, 15, 16, 83, 88, 

228, 235, 255, 266, 267, 269, 286, 332. 
Bonaparte, Lucien, 3, 46, 113, 118, 

145, 154, 200, 282, 442, 463. 
Bonaparte, Pauline, 13, 17, 443, 444. 
Bonet, 383. 
Bonifaccio, 10. 
Borde, 5. 

I?ordeaux, 287, 294. 451, 486. 
Borghese, Prince, 237. 
Borghese, Princess, see Bonaparte, 

Pauline. 
Borghetto, 31. 
Borisof, 363. 
Borisovka, 354. 
Borniida. 137, 
Borna. 402. 
Borodino, 353-357. 
Borovsk, 359. 



INDEX 



515 



Boudet, 59. 
Boulaq, 88. 
Boulogne, 170, 172-176, 185, 186, 201, 

203, 207. 
Bourbons, 181, 288, 294, 433, 441. 
Bourg des Noes, 429. 
Bourmont, 123, 457. 
Bourrienne, 87, 88, 107, 108, 111. 
Boyarintsova, 351. 
Boyer, 90. 
Braunau, 214, 307. 
Bray, 263, 427. 
Breitenau, 397. 
Brescia, 30, 37, 39. 
Breslau, 374, 383. 
Brest, 131, 174. 
Brewing, 85. 
Briare, 441. 
Bribes, 84. 
Bridges, 486. 
Brieg, 148. 
Brienne, 3, 417. 
Brindisi, 150. 
Bristol, 165. 
Brizzi, 254. 

Brueys, 69, 75, 76, 81, 84. 
Bruges, 171, 332. 
Bruix, 148, 173. 
Brumaire, 108-113. 
Brune, 72, 123. 
Brunn, 216, 220. 
Brunswick, 239, 244, 246. 
Brussels, 172, 457. 
Bubna, 386, 429. 
Buitrago, 301. 
Bulow, 415, 433, 460. 
Bunzlau, 388. 
Burgau, 211. 
Burghausen, 310. 
Burgos, 281, 300. 
Burkersdorf, 215. 
Bussy, 458, 459. 

Cacault, 55. 

Cadiz, 195. 

Cadore, Duke of, see Champagny. 

Cadoudal, 123, 124, 134, 177. 

Caen, 338. 

CiEsar, 143. 

Caffarelli, 97. 

Cagliostro, 227. 

Cairo, 83, 85, 88, 90, 98, 103, 104. 

Calais, 170, 171. 

Calder, 204. 

Caldiero, 47. 



Cambac^rfes, 16, 145, 157, 163, 176, 183, 

196, 202, 255, 256, 292, 324, 376, 377, 

387, 388, 410, 419. 
Campo Formio, 71, 72, 221. 
Cana, 96. 
Canals, 281, 486. 

Cape of Good Hope, 69, 148, 255. 
Caprara, 154. 
Carcare, 19. 
Carnot, 26, 30, 46, 49, 125, 127, 128, 136, 

463. 
Carri, 22. 
Casablanca, 40. 
Casteggio, 136. 
Castelnovo, 37. 
Castel San Giovanni, 25, 26. 
Carthage, 76. 
Castafios, 310. 
Castel Ceriolo, 137. 
Castiglione, 36, 38, 39, 117. 
Castiglione, Duke of, see Augereau. 
Castlereagh, 484. 
Cattaneo, 35. 

Catherine of Wurtemberg, 279, 348. 
Caulaincourt, 236, 284, 321, .330, 382, 

385, 386, 413, 418, 422, 424, 426, 437, 

453. 
Cervoni, 37. 
Ceva, 21, 24. 
Chabot, 48. 
Chabour, 82. 
Chabran, 48, 129. 
Chalons, 194. 
Chamartin, 302. 
Chambord, 319. 
Chameroi, Mile., 162. 
Champagny, 209, 251, 254, 279-281, 300, 

320, 323, 328-330, 334. 
Champaubert, 421, 425, 426. 
Championnet, 74. 
Chantereine, Rue, 73. 
Charlemagne, 132, 173, 224, 278, 312, 

328, 339. 
Charlemagne, the, 339. 
Charleroi, 456, 457. 
Charles IV of Spain, 286-290. 
Charles VIII of France, 62. 
Charles XII of Sweden, 342. 
Charles XIII of Sweden, 333. 
Charles, Archduke, 57, 59-61, 221, 309, 

316, 331. 
Chateau du Plessis, 436. 
Chateau-Thierry, 422, 431. 
Chatillon, 426. 
Ch^nier, 256. 



516 



INDEX 



Cherasco, 22. 

Cherbourg, 173, 481, 482, 486. 

Cheron, 184. 

Chiese, 38. 

Chios, 15. 

Chivasso, 133. 

Chobrakyt, 82. 

Christ, 278, 496. 

Cincinnatus, 71. 

Cisalpine Republic, 64. 

Ciudad Rodrigo, 343. 

Clarke, 115, 244. 283, 295, 314, 319, 324, 

345, 3G7, 369, 375, 377, 392, 418, 431. 
Clary, Eugenie, 17. 
Clary, D^siree, 15, 83. 
Clary, Julie, 17, 83. 
Clausel, 473. 
Cleves, 228. 
Clichy, 65. 
Clouet, 457. 

Cobenzl, 70-72, 148, 179. 
Coburg, 239, 242. 
Cockburn, 473, 484, 493. 
Cocherel, 431. 
Code, 124, 144, 226, 299, 469. 
Colbert, 168. 
Colditz, 380. 
Colli, 22. 
Cologne, 188,340. 
Colonna, 444. 
Comet, 505. 
Como, 281. 

Compi^gne, 290, 331, 332. 
Conegliano, 59. 

Conegliano, Duke of, see Moncey. 
Confederation of the Rhine, 341. 
Coni, 22, 24. 
Consalvi, 153. 
Conscription, 91, 499. 
Conservatory, 357, 358. 
Constantinople, 56, 161, 162, 228, 232, 

291, 475. 
Continental blockade, 251, 255, 277, 

283, 339. 
Copenhagen, 279. 
Coppct, 283. 
Corhinoau, 394. 
('rirri/rr, the, 77. 
Cordova, 292. 
Corfu, 75, a5. 
Corneille, 469. 
Cornigliano. 129. 
Cornw.iUis, \sr>. 
Coronation. 191, 192. 
Correggio, 26. 



Corsaglia, 21. 

Corsica, 3-6, 8, 46, 501. 

Corte, 8. 

Corunna, 202. 

Corvisart, 337, 338, 440. 503. 

Cossacks, 349, 361, 365, 373, 374, 411, 418. 

Cosseria, 20. 

Council of State, 150, 151. 

Cour de France, 437. 

Craonne, 432. 

Crassus, 293. 

Cretet, 296. 297. 

Crevelt, 187. 

Cubo, 300. 

Cuesta, 293. 

Czartoriski, 253. 

Dalesme, 441. 

Dalmatia, Duke of, see Sonlt. 

Damanhour, 84. 

Damascus, 88. 

Damietta, 100. 

Dandolo, 65. 

Dantzig, 264, 265, 267, 269, 270, 341, 345, 

346. 
Dantzig, Duke of, see Lefebvre. 
Daru, 201, 264, 290, 313, 398 
Daunou. 115. 
Dauranne, 67. 
Daure, 420. 
Davout, 131, 196. 211, 215, 239, 243, 246, 

248. 262, 263, 296. 308. 319, 339, 340, 342, 

347, 348, 350, 352, 358-360, 375, 381, 

449, 450, 455. 
D'Azara, 33. 
Dccr^s, 174. 188, 196, 198, 203, 206, 291, 

329, 341, 370. 
Dcgo, 19. 20, 
Delignette. 93. 
Delort, 458. 
Denmark. 279. 
Dcsai.x, 67, 74, 81, 86, 88, 100, 101. 130, 

131, 133, 139, 142, 145, 450, 476, 504, 608. 
Dcsaix, quai, 173. 
Dcschamps, 346. 
Dcsonzano. 37. 
Dos]>inoy, 20, .^4, 40. 
Dessau, 247, 399, 401. 
Devaismes, 146. 
Dieppe, 1(54. 
Dijon. 127. 
Diri'ctoire, 18-2.'>, 27-31, 3.1, 35, 39.43- 

45. 48, 54-62, 65-70, 72, 74, 79, 85-87, 

91. 106. 
Divorce, 151, 152, 291, 292. 



INDEX 



517 



Djezzar Pasha, 87, 91, 92, 94-96, 98, 99. 
Dnieper, 351. 
Dniester, 334. 
Doktourof, 348. 
Dolgorouki, 197, 198. 
Dombrowski, 3G2, 375. 
Dommartin, 29, 88. 
Domnau, 271. 
Donauwerth, 209, 308. 
Dornburg, 245. 
Dorogobouje, 352, 360. 
Doubrovna, 361. 

Dresden, 240, 242, 243, 276, 345, 367, 375, 
380, 381, 383, 388, 389, 392, 395, 397, 399. 
Drinking, 473. 
Drissa, 350. 

Drouot, 379, 404, 441-446, 453. 
Duben, 401. 
Dubois, 337. 
Ducos, 114, 116. 
Dugommier, 12. 
Duhesme, 460. 
Dulanloy, 406. 
Dumas, 68. 
Dumolard, 65. 
Dumoulin, 235. 
Dumouriez, 178. 
Dunkirk, 74, 75, 171, 486. 
Dupont, 130, 235, 283, 291-296. 
Dupuy, 48. 
Durand, 197. 

Duroc, 47, 165, 166, 247, 274, 385, 388. 
Durosnel, 397. 
Durutte, 406. 
Diisseldorf, 340. 
Dwina, 334. 

Ebelsberg, 311. 

Ebersdorf, 312, 313. 

Ebl6, 363. 

Eckhardt, 235. 

Eckmuhl, 309, 310, 319. 

Eckmiihl, Duke of, see Davout. 

Edinburgh, 165. 

Edkou, 102. 

Education, 85, 226, 228, 229, 469. 

Eggenwald, 63. 

Egypt, 8, 67, 69, 74, 75, 150, 172. 

El Arych, 92, 93. 

Elbe, 439-442, 445, 447. 

El Bekry, 104. 

Elbing, 258. 

Elboeuf, 164. 

Elchingen, 212, 213. 

Elchingen, Duke of, see Ney. 



Electricity, 490. 

Elliot, 49. 

El Ramanyeh, 81, 84, 101. 

Empire proclaimed, 183. 

Enghien, Duke of, 179-181, 184, 473. 

England, 67, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 78, 121, 

173, 179, 196, 203, 206, 207, 213, 227, 

232, 251, 279, 469, 471, 474. 
Enns, 311. 
Enzersdorf , 312. 
Epernay, 436. 
Equality, 299. 
Erfurt, 240, 244, 246, 297, 298, 327, 376, 

407, 408. 
Ergoltsbach, 309. 
Erlon d', 459, 481. 
Escurial, 287. 
Espinas, 303. 
Espinosa, 300, 301. 
Essling, 312, 313, 319. 
Essling, Prince of, see Mass^na. 
Essonne, 437. 
Etaples, 172, 176, 185. 
Ettlingen, 209. 
Etoges, 423. 
Eugene, Prince, 65, 76, 107, 189, 190, 

199, 223-224, 228, 230, 231, 265, 277, 279, 

280, 310, 315, 316, 327, 344, 346, 348, 

351, 352, 358, 359, 367, 370, 371, 373-377, 

380, 381, 425, 434, 474, 497. 
Euphrates, 293, 474. 
Excommunication, 317. 
Eylau, 260-264, 271. 

Faenza, 56. 

Faypoult, 25, 31, 35. 

Fecamp, 165. 

Feldkirch, 103. 

Felke, 59. 

Feltre, Duke of, see Clarke. 

Ferdinand, Archduke, 211, 444. 

Ferdinand VII, of Spain, 286-290. 

Ferrara, 39, 45, 46, 57. 

Ferrol, 201-207. 

Fesch, 164, 191, 224, 442, 491. 

Finance, 114, 122, 176, 202, 229, 319, 320, 

326, 372, 373, 452. 
Finkenstein, 266. 
Fismes, 432. 
Five Hundred, 67. 
Flahault, 457. 
Fleets, 291. 
Fleurus, 457, 458. 
Florence, 34. 
Flushing, 486. 



518 



INDEX 



Foligno, 57. 

Fontainebleau, 200, 280, 281, 324, 334. 

Fontana, 34. 

Forfait, 14S, 140. 

Forli, 19. 

Fortune, 467, 474. 

Fouchti, 126, 153, 157, 161, 191, 196-198, 

235, 249, 256, 269, 275, 292, 315, 310, 319, 

323, 330, 449, 463, 491. 
Fourier, 96. 

Fox, 186, 225, 235, 238, 480, 481. 
Francis I, King of France, 26. 
Francis, Emperor, 43, 44, 63, 117, 139, 

140, 142, 196, 219, 221, 317, 320, 323, 331, 

334, 354, 367, 369, 382, 383, 428, 451, 483. 
Frankfort, 409. 

Frederick the Great, 143, 248, 485, 500. 
Frederick, King of Saxony, 367, 382. 
Frederick William III, 208. 237, 239, 

241, 244, 246, 247, 275, 383, 493, 494. 
Freising, 309. 
Fr6jus, 105, 441. 

French Revolution, 7-16, 125, 147, 157. 
Friant, 396, 439. 
Friedland, 271-273, 380. 
Friendship, 166. 
Friesach, 60. 

Friuli, Duke of, see Duroc. 
Frottti, 123. 
Fructidor, 68, 70. 
Fiirstenstein, 284, 

Gallo, 62, 63, 179. 

Ganteaume, 84, 146, 187, 193-195, 201, 

203, 207, 488. 
Gap, 448. 

Gardanne, 72, 267. 
Gardner, 201. 
Gamier, 40. 
Gatelli, 443. 
Gaudin, 114, 122. 
Gaultier, 40. 
Gaza, 86, 93. 
Gembloux, 458. 
Geneva, 130. 

Genoa, 4, 25, .35, 129, 130, 136. 
Geometry, 3, 7. 
George HI, 110, 117. 
George, Prince Kegent, 465, 474. 
Gera, 243, 244. 

Gt^rard, 420, 436, 455, 457, 473. 
Germany, :J40, 341. 
Gerona, 326. 
Gersdorl, 380. 
Geyersberg, 397. 



Ghent, 171. 

Ghjiatsk, 352, 360. 

Girard, 379. 

Glory, 467, 469, 470. 

Glogau, 344. 

Gloubokoie, 350. 

Gobain, 150, 160. 

Gobelins, 202. 

God, 479, 480. 

Godoy, see Prince of Peace. 

Goerlitz, 393, 394, 397. 

Gohier, 108, 109. 

Golfe Jouan, 447. 

Golymin, 256. 

Goritz, 59. 

Gotha, 408. 

Gourgaud, 479, 494. 

Government, 69, 118, 121, 122, 140, 146, 

158, 182, 184, 199, 200,225,226,268,281, 

282, 321. 
Gozzo, 77. 
Granville, 173. 
Gravina, 195, 196. 
Greece, 472. 
Grenoble, 448, 449. 
Grenville, 165. 
Grobert, 88, 89. 

Grouchy, 365, 432, 458-460, 462, 481, 
Guadarrama, 302, 303. 
Guadeloupe, 156. 
Guieu, 49, 61. 
Guignes, 423, 424. 
Gustavus Adolphus, 403. 
Guttstadt, 273. 
Guyon, 351. 
Gyulai, 221. 
Gyzeh, 83. 

Haag, 214. 
Habits, 6, 231. 
Hagenau, 387. 
Halle, 402-404, 406. 
Hamburg, 374, 381, 385, 
Hanau, 409. 
Hannibal, 143, 486. 
Hanover, 225. 
Harel, 179. 
Hartau, 398. 
Harville, 215. 
Hatzfeldt, 225, 250. 
Ilautpoul, d', 210. 
Havre. 164, 173, 486. 
H.douvillo, 123, 169. 
Heilsbcrg, 273. 
llciurichbdorf, 272. 



INDEX 



519 



Henry IV, 181, 198, 294, 474. 

Henry, Prince, of Prussia, 246. 

History, 229, 368, 475, 481, 487, 492. 

Hoche, 67, 72, 476. 

Hof , 239, 

Holienlinden, 146. 

Holienlohe, 249, 295. 

Holland, 228, 332. 

Holzhausen, 406. 

Hortense, 107, 189, 190, 266, 267, 317, 

464. 
Humanity, 468, 480. 
Hungary, 341. 

Ibrahim Bey, 86, 96. 

Ikazni, 349. 

Iller, 211. 

Imagination, 140, 482, 483, 503. 

Imolan, 147. 

India, 285. 

Ingolstadt, 209, 308. 

Inn, 211. 

Inquisition, 302. 

Insterburg, 346. 

Institute of Egypt, 85. 

Institute of France, 321. 

Ireland, 187, 188. 

Isar, 209. 

Isonzo, 59, 63. 

Italian Opera, 5. 

Ivan, 337. 

Ivernois, 165. 

Ivrea, 133. 

Jaffa, 93, 94, 100. 

Jauer, 387. 

Jena, 242-247, 251, 253, 273, 380, 475, 485, 
494. 

John, Archduke, 315. 

Jomini, 350, 393. 

Josephine, 18, 26, 30, 34-36, 40-51, 56, 
57, 83, 92, 93, 106, 107, 131, 133, 142, 147, 
167, 185, 189-191, 193, 203, 204, 209, 211- 
213, 215, 220, 244, 245-247, 250, 252,254, 
256-259, 265, 270, 273, 275, 276, 280, 298, 
304, 311, 313, 315, 317, 323-328, 332,346, 
442, 477, 478, 497, 500. 

Jouarre, 431. 

Joubersthon, 282. 

Joubert, 37, 48, 53, 54, 72, 74, 91. 

Jourdan, 103, 106, 108, 114. 

Judenburg, 61. 

Jullien, 101. 

Junot, 12-14, 22, 62, 92, 96, 105, 142, 176, 
215, 265, 281, 286, 296, 299, 357, 359. 



Kaja, 378-380. 

Kalitchy, 155. 

Kalmucks, 273. 

Kaluga, 357. 

Kamen, 350. 

Kant, 227. 

Kaunitz, 219. 

Keilenfels, 235. 

Keith, 174. 

Kellermann, Marshal, 28, 44, 371, 373, 

408. 
Kellermann, General, 139. 
Kent, 188. 
Kief, 356, 357. 
Kilmaine, 37. 
Kirgener, 385. 
Klagenfurt, 60. 
Kl^ber, 74, 76, 79, 84, 86, 91, 98, 101, 104, 

105, 145, 476, 505. 
Klein, 245. 
Kleist, 429, 433. 
Klix, 384. 
Knobelsdorf, 241. 
Koenigsberg, 255, 262, 276, 346, 
Koscziusko, 249. 
Kotzebue, 383. 
Kourakine, 321. 
Koutousoff, 357. 
Kovno, 347. 
Kozieltuski, 301. 
Krasnoie, 359. 
Kremlin, 358, 359. 
Kronach, 241. 
Kustrin, 249, 252. 

La Bouillerie, 258. 
La Bruyfere, 36. 
La Corona, 36, 37. 
Lacretelle, 260. 
Lacroix, 375. 
La Favorita, 53. 
Lafayette, 150, 435. 
La Fere, 4. 

La Fert6-sous-Jouarre, 423. 
Lafltte, 507. 
Laforest, 239. 
Laharpe, 19, 20, 24, 26. 
La Haye, 187. 
Lalande, 51. 

Landsberg, 210, 211, 262. 
Landshut, 309. 
Langeron, 432. 
Langlfes, 75. 

Lannes, 20, 26, 27, 32, 42, 48-50, 53, 72, 
77, 93, 94, 97, 104, 131, 147, 161, 208, 



520 



INDEX 



•210, 211, 215, 218. 242, 243, 245, 249, 

255, 271, 272, 284, 313, 314, 467, 473. 
Lanusse, 48. 
Laon, 432, 433, 456. 
Laplace, 165, 338. 
La Rothifere, 417. 
Las Cases, 472, 489, 490. 
La Touche Tr^ville, 185. 
La Tour, 24. 
Latour-Maubourg, 401. 
Lauben, 394. 
Lauderdale, 235. 
Lauriston, 194, 202, 344, 370, 378, 382, 

385, 405, 407. 
Lausanne, 130. 
Lavalette, 462. 
Law, 69, 85, 122, 124, 128, 129, 144, 150, 

151, 227, 299. 
Learning, 73. 
Lebrun, 453. 
Lecamus, 284. 
Lech, 209, 211, 308. 
Lecourbe, 126. 
Leczinski, 443. 

Lefebvre, Marshal, 74, 265, 308, 365. 
Lefebvre, Gen., 292. 
Legend re, 305. 
Leghorn, 27, 33. 
Legion of Honour, 160. 
Legnago, 52, 53. 
Leibnitz, 172. 
Leignitz, 386, 387. 

Leipzig, 334, 377, 378, 399, 400, 402-406. 
Leloha, 101. 
Leoben, 61, 62. 
L6on, 122. 
Lesegno, 21. 
Levenkau, 378. 
Liberty, 6, 32, 299. 
Li^bert, 177. 
Liebstadt, 271, 397. 
Liechtenstein, 219, 221, 323. 
Ligny, 458, 481. 
Lindenau, 407. 
Linz, 215. 
Lippe, 339. 

Lisbon, 281. 283, 295, 299, 335. 
Literature. 251, 252. 
Livingston, 181. 
Loano, 14. 
Lnbau. 312, 313, 316. 
Lobau. Cte. de, see Mouton. 
Lochnitza, 313. 
LodI, 27. 
Loewenberg, 327. 



Loison, 375. 

Lombardy, 14, 24, 32. 

Lonato, 37, 38, 494. 

London, 58, 170. 

Longwood, 470, 481. 

Longwj'. 10. 

Loretto, 33, 57. 

Louis XVI. 9, 10, 142. 

LouisXVIlI, 145, 451. 

Louis le D^bonnaire, 278. 

Louis, Prince of Prussia, 243. 

Louisa. Queen, 241, 244, 246, 247, 249, 

257, 275, 276. 
Love, 6, 7, 36, 167. 
Lowe, Hudson, 476, 477, 482-484, 493, 

495-198. 505. 
LUbeck. 250. 
Lucay, 251. 
Lucca, 439. 
Lucchesini, 236, 247. 
Ludwigsburg, 209, 308. 
Luneville, 146. 149. 
Liitzen. 377-380. 
Lyons, 5, 141, 156, 157, 195, 265, 449,487. 

Macdonald, 379, 394, 396, 403, 406, 407, 

415, 436. 
Macerata, 56. 
Mack, 295. 
Macquart. 40. 
Madagascar. 148. 149. 
Madrid. 287, 288, 301, 302. 
MafHiers, 173. 
Magdeburg, 247, 260. 
Maida, 234. 

Mainz, 14, 238, 376, 396, 410, 486. 
Maison, 451. 
Maitland, 465. 
Makow, 259. 
Malesherbes, 439. 
Malmaison, 125. 332, 464. 
Malo-Yaroslavetz, 359. 
Malta. 69, 77, 78, 81, 85, 130, 154, 167, 

16.^. 232. 
M.ameluks, 73-81, 83, 86, 92. 
Manners, 473. 474, 493. 
Mantua. 27, 30, 31, 34-38, 52, 54, 66, 68, 

68, 103-105. 
Mansrourt, 87. 

Manufactures, 85, 149, 156, 196. 
Marbot. 216. 272. 
Marcaria. 37. 
Marcate. 210. 211. 
Marccau. 476. 
Marcband, 506. 



INDEX 



521 



Marengo, 136-139, 142, 145, 211,272-274, 

485. 
Marat, 149, 267, 283, 319, 320, 339, 360, 

361, 363, 365, 371, 385-387, 398. 
Maria Louisa, 328-331, 337-340, 344, 387, 

391, 410, 415, 419, 420, 422, 435, 440, 443, 

444, 449, 453, 454, 480, 486, 491, 500, 503, 

506, 507. 
Marmirolo, 35. 
Marmont, 14, 77, 90, 93, 101, 104, 132, 178, 

188, 212, 215, 343, 370, 377, 378, 381, 384, 

398, 399, 402-406, 419, 421, 431-433, 437, 

438. 
Marracq, 292, 411. 
Marriage, 151, 152, 258, 259, 266, 267, 477, 

478. 
Marseillais, 10. 
Marseilles, 11, 12, 161. 
Martigny, 131. 
Mary Caroline, 221. 
Mass^na, 19, 20, 27, 30, 37, 39-41, 47-49, 

52-54, 61, 63, 72, 116, 124, 126, 128, 129, 

130, 136, 141, 206-208, 308-310, 319, 335, 

451, 473, 476, 508. 
Mathematics, 7, 9, 488, 499, 501. 
Mattei, 43, 46, 55. 
Maximilian Joseph, see Bavaria, 

King of. 
Meaux, 423, 435. 
Mecanique Cileste, 165. 
Mecca, 498. 
Medicine, 503. 
Medina de Rio Seco, 293. 
Meissen, 400. 

Melas, 125, 129, 130, 132-139. 
Melzi, 65. 
Memmingen, 211. 
Memory, 306. 
Mtoeval, 443, 453, 486. 
Menou, 17, 86, 93. 
Menouf, 104. 
Mersehurg, 377. 
Merveldt, 61, 62, 72, 405. 
Mery, 436. 
Metternich, 279, 306, 307, 382, 389, 390, 

414, 429. 
Metz, 437, 486. 
Meunier, 40. 
Michaud, 90. 
Michael Angelo, 26. 
Mikhailovka, 360. 
Milan, 25, 27-29, 43, 51, 63, 66, 133, 134, 

140, 197, 282, 283, 505. 
Milhaud, 392, 458. 
Military art, see Wai. 



Millesimo, 20. 

Miloradovitch, 380. 

Mincio, 30, 31. 

Minsk, 354, 361. 

Miot, 434. 

Mirabeau, 7. 

Miseritz, 252. 

Modena, 25, 45. 

Moka, 90. 

Mohilef , 350. 

Mohrungen, 271. 

Mojaisk, 353, 354, 357, 359. 

Moldavia, 251, 356, 357. 

Mollendorf, 246. 

Mollien, 452. 

Molodetchna, 364. 

Mombello, 65. 

Moncey, 238, 285, 438. 

Mondovi, 21, 23. 

Monge, 32, 33, 75, 104. 

Moniteur, 263, 481. 

Montalivet, 411, 429. 

Mt. Cenis, 160, 200, 486. 

Montebello, 42, 136, 137. 

Montebello, Duke of, see Lannes. 

Montebello, Duchess of, 337. 

Montechiaro, 36, 37. 

Montenotte, 20, 466. 

Montereau, 424, 425, 427. 

Montesquieu, 69. 

Montesquiou, 364. 

Montesquiou, Mme. de, 351, 387, 444, 

454. 
Mt. Genfevre, 160, 486. 
Montholon, 479, 507. 
Montholon, Mme. de, 485. 
Montmirail, 419, 421, 423, 425, 426. 
Mont St. Jean, 459-461. 
Monuments, 487. 
Moore, 303, 474. 
Morand, 387. 
Moravia, 215. 
Moreau, 63, 107, 115, 116, 122, 125, 127, 

129, 135, 148, 177, 178, 184, 393, 396. 
Mortier, 170, 172, 272, 358, 359, 373, 379, 

385, 396, 404, 411. 
Moscow, 362, 354-358, 495. 
Moskowa, Prince of, see Ney. 
Mounier, 137. 
Mount Carmel, 94. 
Mount Thabor, 96, 99. 
Moustache, 304. 
Mouton, 449, 459. 
Muhldorf, 310. 
Muiron, 47, 49. 



522 



INDEX 



Muiron, la, 106, 270. 

Munich, 211, 214, 215, 220, 222, 323. 

MUnster, 339. 

Murad Bev, 82. 

Murat, 20,"21. 32. 40, 46, 99, 102-104, 112, 
123, 133, 134, 136, 149, 152, 179, 193, 
205-208, 210-215, 218, 228, 238, 242, 
245, 247, 249, 250, 252-255, 261, 271, 
285-293, 311, 315, 321, 349-353, 358, 365, 
367, 371, 393, 395, 401-405, 422, 430, 
434, 444, 470, 471, 473. 

Muscat, 90. 

Music, 254. 

Mustafa Pasha, 102-104. 

Namur, 172. 

Nancy, 436. 

Nangis, 424. 

Naples, 27, 170, 221, 222, 290. 

Naples, King of, see Bonaparte, Jo- 
seph, and Murat. 

Napoleon, see St. Napoleon. 

Narbonne, Cte., 398. 

Narew, 255. 

Naumburg, 243, 245, 246, 377. 

Navy, 487, 488. 

Nazareth, 96, 97. 

Nelson, 84, 172, 176, 185, 193, 193-197, 
200, 204. 

Netherwood, 94. 

Neufchutel, Prince of, see Berthier. 

Ney, 208-211, 215, 239, 245, 247, 270,272, 
285, 295, 300, 346, 349, :io2, 353, 359, 
301, 362, 373, 375, 377-379, 381-383, 385, 
393, 396-399, 402, 430, 449, 450, 452, 
455, 457-159, 462, 481. 

Nice, 10, 18, 161, 486. 

Nieder Kayna, 383. 

Niemen, 260, 273, 274. 

Nile, 78. 

Nogent, 419, 427. 

Nois, 105. 

Normandy, 164. 

NorthumherUind, 466. 

Novara, 133, 134. 

Nuremberg, 214. 

Ochmiana, 348. 

O'Connor, 187. 

Okunin, 255. 

Old (Juard, 327, 418, 419, 422, 434,437, 

4.iU-441,459, 401. 
Olincttc, 10. 

O'.Meara, 473, 495. 497, COO. 
Otranto, Duke of, see Foucbd. 



Oneglia, 19. 

Opera, 231. 

Opportunity, 70. 

Orange, Prince of, 246: 

Orcha, 361, 302. 

Orient, 74, 75, 77, 78, 85, 98. 

Orleans, Duke of, 179. 

Orsay, quai d', 173. 

Ostend, 171. 

Ostcrode, 262, 264. 

Ott, 136. 

Otto, 307, 329. 

Oudinot, 215, 272, 308, 346, 362,363, 383, 

386, 393, 395, 396, 401, 438. 
Ourcq canal, 173. 

Paer, 254. 

Paine, 126. 

Pajol, 392, 458. 

Palafox, 292, 301, 315. 

Palais Royal, 5. 

Palmanova, 59, 63. 

Pamplona, 392. 

Paoli, 4, 11. 

Papacy, 33, 39, 43, 46, 55-58, 312, 328, 

336. 
Parma, 25, 486. 
Parma, Duke of, 24, 25, 43. 
Partha, 405. 
Passariano, 72. 
Passenheim, 260. 
Patterson, Miss, 195, 196, 300, 301. 
Paul, Czar, 152, 153. 184. 
Pauline, 181, 182, 296. 
Pavia, 26, 28, 29, 32, 34, 197. 
Peace, Prince of, 153, 154, 286-288, 290. 
Pegri, 387. 
People, 467. 
Perr^e, 83. 
Persia, 162, 267. 
Peschiera, 30, 31. 
Pfaffenhofen, 309. 
Philip V, 294. 
Philippeville, 461. 
Piacenza, 25, 200. 
Piacenza, Duke of, 25. 
Piave, 59, 67, 310. 
Pichegru, 165, 177, 178, 476. 
Piedmont, 14, 161. 
Pillage, 21-23, 44, 53. 
Pijon, 48. 
Piney, 417. 

Pitt, 165, 225, 471, 481. 
Pir6, 301. 
Pima, 397. 



INDEX 



523 



Pistoja, 33. 

Pithiviers, 438, 439. 

Pius VII, 154, 188, 191, 224, 277, 278, 368, 
434. 

Piveron, 76. 

Plechtchennisky, 364. 

Plombi6res, 203. 

Plymouth, 165. 

Po, 24-26. 

Poland, 42, 252-254, 258, 318, 333, 357, 
358, 409. 

Police, 490. 

Polotsk, 350, 360. 

Pompey's Column, 79, 91. 

Poniatowski, 253, 352, 353, 405, 407. 

Pons, 447. 

Pont de Briques, 185, 203. 

Portalis, 144, 152, 158. 

Porto Ferrajo, 441. 

Portugal, 277, 281, 290. 

Posthenen, 272. 

Post Office, 491. 

Potsdam, 248. 

Poussielgue, 101. 

Poverty, 144. 

Prague, 392. 

Preilitz, 384. 

Pressburg, 221. 

Provera, 20, 55. 

Prussia, 225, 232, 240, 340. 

Prussia, King of, see Frederick Wil- 
liam III. 

Przasnysz, 259. 

Pultusk, 255, 256. 

Pyramids, 82. 

Eaab, 315. 

Racine, 469, 501. 

Ragusa, 228. 

Ragusa, Duke of, see Marmont. 

Ramadan, 91. 

Rambouillet, 235, 279, 307, 329. 

Rampon, 37, 48, 72, 82. 

Rapp, 341, 358, 450. 

Rastadt, 72. 

Ratisbon, 307-310. 

Raynouard, 199, 256. 

R6al, 180. 

Red Sea, 90. 

Reggio, 45. 

Reggio, Duke of, see Oudinot. 

R6gnier, 76, 92, 167, 171, 173, 177, 234, 

375, 401. 
Reichenbach, 393. 
Reims, 434. 



Reinosa, 300. 

Religion, 43, 78, 80, 81, 102, 135, 144, 

145, 158, 159, 162, 188, 226, 229, 288, 

480, 496, 507. 
Remusat, 184, 388. 
Rendnitz, 403. 
Revolution, 413. 
Rhone, 12. 
Ried, 214. 
Rimini, 170. 

Rivoli, 37, 47, 48, 54, 55, 103, 117. 
Rivoli, Duke of, see Mass6na. 
Rochefort, 295, 465. 
Rohr, 309. 
Roize, 103. 
Rorhagna, 68. 
Romanzoff, 285, 327. 
Rome, 27, 55, 285, 302, 487. 
Rome, King of, 337, 338, 352, 414, 419, 

420, 430, 431, 435, 451, 453, 454, 463, 

491, 500, 506. 
Ronco, 49. 
Rosetta, 101, 104. 
Rostock, 340. 
Rostopchin, 355. 
Rotterdam, 255. 
Rouen, 163, 164. 
Rousseau, 4, 5, 167. 
Roustan, 396. 

Roverbella, 31, 34, 36, 37, 53, 54. 
Roveredo, 41, 42, 47. 
Rovigo, Duke of, see Savary. 
Ruchel, 246. 
Rurik, 128. 
Russia, 333, 340. 

Saalfeld, 239, 242, 243, 271, 

Sacken, 417, 421, 432, 433. 

Safed, 96. 

St. Amand, 458. 

St. Bernard, 127, 131, 132. 

St. Cloud, 279, 296, 299. 

St. Cyr, 74, 170, 373, 395, 401. 

St. Dizier, 417. 

Ste. Croix, 315. 

Ste. Marguerite, 256. 

St. Etienne, 156. 

St. George, 54. 

St. Germain, 285. 

St. Gotthard, 126, 127. 

St. Helena, 188, 466. 

St. Hilaire, 48, 261. 

St. John, see A.cre. 

St. Malo, 173. 

St. JNIarsan, 371. 



524 



INDEX 



St Napoleon, 497. 

St. Petersburg, 345. 

St. Poelten, 311. 

St. Quentin, 149. 

St. Regent, 147. 

St. Valerj-, 165. 

Salheyeh, 100. 

Saliceti, 12-14, 37, 130, 320. 

San Giulano, 137, 138. 

San Marco, 54. 

Sans Souci, 248. 

Santander, 289, 292. 

Santarem, 335. 

Santini, 483. 

Saragossa, 292. 

Sardinia, 10, 14, 19, 24, 

Sauret, 37, 40. 

Savary, 140, 2G5, 280, 281, 284, 292, 308, 

334, 341, 388, 392, 399, 410, 416, 420, 426, 

434. 
Savona, 486. 
Savoy, 10. 
Scheiffling, 61. 
Scberer, 103, 106^ 
Schleiz, 243. 
Schlitt, 260. 
Schoenbrunn, 215, 220, 311, 314, 315, 

317, 320, 322. 
Schwarzenberg, 328, 363, 401, 418, 422, 

424, 425, 429, 430. 
Schwerin, 249. 
Science, 73. 
Scipio, 485. 
Scotland, 165. 
Scrira, 137. 

Sebastiani, 349, 358, 40S. 
S6gnr, 5. 

Selim. Snltan, 260, 251. 
SenibTo, 300. 
Son no, 443. 
Sepulveda, 302. 
Sernirier, 21, 37, 38, 40, 58, 6T. 
Serre, 7. 
Sesia, 1.33. 
S(-vres, 280. 
S('"7,anne, 421, 430, 435. 
Shakespeare, 469. 
Sicily, 2:^2. 
.Sioy^s, 114-llC, 157. 
Sirnplon, 126, 100, 485, 
Skai.scirren, 273. 
Skal. 139. 
Slavery, 469. 
Smith. S., '.14, 95,488. 
Smolensk, 351. 354, 356, 360v 361, 3C4. 



Smorgoni, 367. 

Society, 227. 

Soissons, 432, 433, 45S, 

Soldiers, 30, 31, 154. 

Solferino, 38, 39. 

Solomon, 91. 

Sombreffe, 458. 

Somosierra, 301, 302. 

Sorbier, 362, 406. 

Souham,177, 379. 

Soult, 176-178, 190,209-211,215,216,218, 

239, 241, 243, 245, 247, 250, 261, 304, 369, 

384, 385, 390, 392, 455, 467. 
Spain, 318, 340, 341. 
Spain, Queen of, 134. 
Spezzia, 486. 
Spree, 399. 
Stael, Mme. de, 167, 173, 198, 265, 2C9, 

283, 487. 
Stahremberg, 444. 
Staps, 322, 323. 
Stein, 370,383. 
Steingel, 26, 508. 
Stephanie of Baden, 235. 
Stettin, 249. 
Stockach, 129. 
Stolpen, 394. 
Stradella, 135, 136. 
Strussburg, 208, 308. 
Studienka, 363, 365, 
Stupinigi, 195. 
Stuttgardt, 215, 220, 224. 
Suchet, 128, 132, 210, 336, 473^ | 
Suez, 89, 90, 150. 
Suicide, 4, 502. 
Sulkowsky, 47. 
Surinam, 255. 
Swiss Guard, 10. 
Switzerland, 14S. 
Syout, 86. 
Syria, 87. 

Ti(;er, 95. 

Tilsit, 273, 274-276, 327, 339, 348, 493, 

494. 
Tippoo Sahib, 76, 90. 
Title, 321. 
Toby, 469. 
Tolentino, 57, 58. 
Tolosa, 300. 
Tolstoi, 281, 2S4. 
Torgan-, 397. 

Tortona. 22, 25, 28, 32, 104, 127, 13*. 
Toulon, 11-13, 09, 76, «5, M4. 
'I'oulouse, 294. 



INDEX 



525 



Tournori, 286. 

Tragedy, 256. 

Traun, 311. 

Trebbia, 105. 

Trelliard, 438. 

Trent, 41. 

Treviso, Duke of, see Mortier. 

Trianon, 326, 328, 339. 

Trieste, 44, 63. 

Troitzkoie, 358. 

Tableau des Sabines, 126. 

Tagliamento, 59. 

Talavera, 319. 

Talleyrand, 134, 148, 153, 154, 161, 165, 
169, 197, 205, 216, 219-221, 225,232,264, 
267, 271, 277, 305, 306, 419, 420, 473, 
491. 

Talma, 184. 

Taranto, 150, 168. 

Taranto, Duke of, see Macdonald. 

Tarragona, 337. 

Tascber, Count, 425. 

Tauenzien, 242. 

Tchichagof, 363. 

Tenda, 160. 

Teplitz, 397. 

Thames, 165. 

Tbann, 310. 

Theatre Fran9ais, 357, 358. 

Theseus, 95. 

Th6venin, 44. 

Thorn, 345. 

Thouin, 32. 

Ticino, 134. 

Tronchet, 144. 

Troyes, 194, 427, 430, 436. 

Tschernitchef, 336, 344. 

Tudela, 301. 

Tuileries, 9, 10. 

Turenne, 143. 

Turin, 24, 104, 200, 487. 

Turkey, 15, 57. 

Tuscany, 324. 

Tuscany, Duke of, 43. 

Tweeddale, Lord, 186. 

Tyrol, 14, 24. 

Ulm, 135, 209-213. 
Undaunted, 441. 
Urbino, 57. 

Valais, 148. 
Valeggio, 30, 207. 
Valence, 4, 7, 441. 
Valenza, 24, 26. 



Valladolid, 283, 304, 305. 

Valmy, Duke of, see Kellermaiin. 

Valvasone, 59. 

Vandamme, 395, 396. 

Var, 12. 

Vaubois, 41, 47, 48. 

Vauchamps, 423. 

Vedel, 293. 

Velije, 351. 

Velitchevo, 352. 

Vence, 308. 

Vendue, 15, 131. 

Vendemiaire, 16, 17, 70, 144, 466. 

Venice, 31, 35, 43, 51, 52, 58, 62, 63, 65, 

68, 71, 221, 486, 505. 
Venloo, 187. 
Vercelli, 133. 
Verdier, 39, 49. 
Verdun, 10. 
Ver Huell, 195. 
Verne, 49. 

Verona, 34, 39, 42, 46-52, 54. 
Viazma, 352, 358, 360. 
Vicenza, Duke of, see Caulaincourt. 
Vico, 21. 

Victoire, rue de la, 73. 
Victor, 48, 56, 57, 72, 272, 283, 344, 360, 

361, 363, 395, 411, 415, 420, 424, 426. 

432, 437, 438, 451. 
Vienna, 60, 63, 68, 215. 
Vignolle, 49. 
Villacastin, 303. 
Villach, 60. 
Villafranca, 48. 
Villanova, 47, 49. 
Villeneure, 187, 194-198, 200-207. 
Villoutreys, 457. 

Vilna, 345, 347, 348, 350, 354, 363, 367. 
Vincennes, 179. 
Virgil, 36, 502. 
Visconti, Mme., 489. 
Vistula, 345. 
Vitebsk, 350, 351. 
Vittoria, 281, 283, 300, 390, 496. 
Vitry, 416. 
Voghera, 136. 
Vohburg, 309. 
Volney, 8. 
Voltaire, 167. 
Voronzoff, 432. 
Voronovo, 349. 

Wachau, 405. 
Wagram, 317, 319, 475. 
Waldheim, 386. 



526 



INDEX 



■\Valewska, Mmc, 257, 258, 439. 

"VVallachia, 201. 

AValther, 210. 

War, 52, 12V, 128, 143, 144, 1G6, 262, 263, 

269, 296, 306, 310, 311, 316, 318, 321, 

322, 498, 499. 
"Warden, 490. 
AVarsaw, 253, 255-257, 264, 266, 334, 364, 

386. 
Washington, 123. 

Waterloo, 459, 470, 471, 479, 481, 495. 
Wealth, 144. 
Wehlau, 346. 

Weimar, 246, 249, 298, 376, 377. 
Weissenfels, 377, 408. 
Wellington, 335, 365, 459, 488. 
Werneck, 213, 214. 
Wertingen, 209, 210. 
Wesel, 340. 
Whitworth, 165, 169. 
Wilkowj'ski, 347. 
Willenberg, 259. 
Willot, 165. 
Wimereux, 174, 185. 
Wittenberg, 248, 400. 
Wittgenstein, 363, 402. 
AVitziiigerode, 432, 433. 
Wolkersdorf , 317. 



Women, 5, 7, 14, 172, 193, 230, 231, 254, 

256, 494. 
Words, 495. 
Work, 122, 485, 486. 
Wrede, 308. 
Wurmser, 33, 38, 39. 
Wurschen, 384, 385. 
Wiirtemberg, 209. 
Wiirteraberg, King of, 238, 239. 
WUrzburg, 238, 239. 
Wiirzen, 401. 
Wyndham, 165. 

Xenophon, 76. 

Yarmouth, Lord, 235. 

Yelvia, 360. 

York V. Wartenberg, 370, 433. 

Zach, 138. 
Zama, 76. 
Zanivki, 363. 
Zajonchek, 362. 
Zara, 228. 
Zeeland, 319. 
Zittau, 394. 
Znayni, 317. 
Zusmarshausen, 210. 



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